Kisses aren't Promises
by DeaGrimm
Summary: Starts off after the series' end. Aang and his friends still have some maturing to do before they become the adults they are meant to be, and the war has left them with some loose ends.
1. Priorities Change

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 1: Priorities Change**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, all of which are only for recreational proposes only - NOT FOR MY PERSONAL PROFIT, and thus, so I do.

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Katara sat beside her grandmother, helping clean the fish for dinner. Her movements were repetitive and well rehearsed. She seemed calm, comforted by the mundane task, but the storm brewing inside her mind was just too strong, even for the hypnotic glint of the knife...

_I never thought this through, not really, which just goes to show how much of a kid I still am. How naïve I still am... And it's a relief, but a pain at the same time._

_It's a relief that I still posses a little bit of naiveté, even after the incident with Hama._

_It's a pain though, having to look at your past actions and acknowledge each and every bit of the egoistical, self-serving motivations behind them._

_The day I left the South Pole, the plan was simple: help the Avatar master the elements, win against the Fire Nation, and come back home to marry, have children, and get old, all without having to worry about Fire Nation raids. I wasn't really concerned about world peace. I just wanted my own personal peace and happiness. _

_When Aunt Wu said I'd marry a powerful Bender and die old, surrounded by my grandchildren, I was reassured that such was my destiny. Then Sokka said the obvious - "Aang is a powerful Bender," and so the plan was modified to, marry Aang, have children, and so on.._

_Now..._

_War over for two months: check. _

_Being back at home for a month: check._

_And still, I'm not _happy _yet, and I don't know why!_

_People here treat me like an adult when they want me to do some chore for them. Then they treat me like a child when I disagree with how they are handling things._ "Being the Avatar's girlfriend doesn't mean you can talk to your elders like that!"

_Eating only fish, seal jerky and sea prunes for the first three days was great. Two weeks of _only_ fish, seal jerky and sea prunes isn't so great; I miss the nuts and fruits. Gutting tiger seals and fish isn't great. Having fish scales on you hair isn't either; when you think you got the last one out, you find two others. I don't really mind the gutting and cooking, but smelling like fish and seal blubber is horrible, though thanks to the cold, the smell only spreads when you are near a lit fire pit. Taking care of the kids is a nightmare. I fought enough with Toph to know I really don't like it; that is the one thing I never missed about being here._

_And I feel I should be happy that I'm back home and things are turning out just like I always thought they would, but instead I'm cold, stinky and cranky. I'm whining and I feel guilty for whining like a spoiled brat... After all... This _is _what I wanted all along... right?_

_And... In a month, I'll be fifteen._

_Father wants a great party. He likes things like that. But I don't feel like having a big party._

_Master Pakku wants to invite important people from each and every nook and cranny of the world. I'd rather it was just family and close friends._

_Sokka wants it to be a surprise party... Dear Sokka, actually, I would love to have a surprise party._

_And Aang wants to ask me to marry him during the party. Obviously not much of a surprise there..._

_Someone came up with the notion that this marriage will happen on my sixteenth birthday and this is where things got complicated. Father, Master Pakku and the rest of the Tribe are delighted by the idea but I'm not so keen on it..._

_I have to remember to give Zuko something really nice for his birthday. After all, if it wasn't for the sneaking and infiltration tactics he taught me while we chased after mom's killer, I would never have found out about any of those plans._

_Well, I would have...while in the middle of the first multi-national, after-war, but not-the-end-of-the-war celebratory party, surrounded by important strangers from all over the world and in front of my expectant family and__ an even more expectant Aang. Where I would be forced to say "yes" whether I meant it or not, because "no" just wouldn't be an acceptable answer. How can I say yes if I'm not sure I really mean yes? It wouldn't be fair to Aang. It wouldn't be fair to _me.

_What a wake up call. _

_After that, I realized that I don't know if I like the poles; I know for sure that I like the people who live there, but it was nice to be around trees and grass. I really liked it._

_I don't like the cold._

_I like fruits and gastronomic variety. There are so many delicious things in the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation!_

_I like the light weight of Fire Nation clothing. It's easier to move and bend with them. The parkas slow me down a lot and it's difficult to bend my arms in it._

_I like daily baths and swimming around. It makes me feel even more connected with the water. It's impossible to do that here, though. _

_I want to learn more about healing... I could prevent people from getting big scars like Zuko's and Bato's. I wonder how Zuko got his scar... It's too focused to be like how Bato got his._

_I want to learn more about herbs, pastes and unguents. There has to be a better way to cure colds, something that doesn't include a frozen frog..._

_I want to learn acupressure and acupuncture. Ty Lee isn't my enemy anymore but you never know what might happen and Aang said the Avatar State came back after he hit his back pretty hard exactly where Azula nailed him. If I had known about this, I could have healed him before he had to face Ozai. _

_And I want to work as a healer using all this knowledge. We would have twice as many people here than we do if we had a competent healer. Maybe even Mother could have been saved._

_I want to make a name for myself. I don't want to be just "the Avatar's sifu," "the Avatar's girlfriend," "the Avatar's wife." I'm proud of my hard work and I want to be acknowledged for it, not for who I'm with._

_Earning some coin with my own hard work would also be very nice. During our traveling, people gave us money because we were with the Avatar. Money is not a commodity, even less so in the middle of a war. We needed that money so we accepted it, but I would have felt better if we had done some work to earn it... I want to earn enough to live on comfortably and leave something nice for my children._

_I want to learn a non-Bending fighting style, just for fun. Something a little more dynamic than Waterbending to keep me fit ten years from now._

_I want to travel some more, as a tourist this time, to go sight seeing and learn the amusing tiny bits of history of the place I'm visiting so I'll have something to talk about, to tell to my grandchildren. But I also want to settle down eventually, to have a place with my things, my own place._

_I do want to marry... After I'm done with the learning, working and traveling._

_I do want children, after I'm done with the coin-earning._

_The worst part is that sometimes I feel the only thing Aang and I really had in common was being part of the war._

_He wants a lot of children; he says it all the time while he is playing with the children here. He has _no idea_ how hard it is to raise just one child, how hard it is to raise your child, and he still is a child himself._

_I want one child at least, two at most. I want them to be separated by more than two years, so they'll have different needs and will be less likely to compete with each other. And I don't want to mother my own husband; that would just feel wrong._

_He wants to teach Airbending to his children, and he will! Any and all of his children will be Airbenders, no matter who the mother is! I mean, everybody knows there were no non-benders among the Air Nomads. I've always dreamed of teaching Waterbending to my children but if I marry him, I don't think it will even be a possibility._

_Being the Avatar is a 24/7 job and he resents it... I think he feels like he has to please everybody all the time just because he is the Avatar..._

_Being a healer is a 24/7 job and I relish in it. It's the kind of hard, messy work that is really rewarding. I know that sometimes, people will die, but I've seen people die while I could do nothing but watch. At least now I can try to give people a fighting chance._

_Aang loves his pets. I don't really mind Momo and Appa—they are great company and really loyal—but I refuse to clean bison dung for the rest of my lifespan._

_He hates my favorite food, though to his credit, he has tried really hard to learn to like it. I don't even know what is his favorite food is; must be something only the Air Nomads knew how to cook. He always changes topics when I ask so it must bring forward some memories he doesn't know how to deal with... I know I could help him, but one can't really pressure Aang._

_I would have never thought up this list if things had been left as they were and I really think shouldn't be whining about it; any other girl in my place would be delighted._

_Ah, talking about pressuring Aang, whenever he is about to be forced to do something he doesn't want to do, he runs away and leaves everyone else behind to struggle and figure things out for him. Running away is not the answer._

_I try to do my best no matter what but his running away has always left me disappointed, even when I knew he would come back. Sometimes I wished I could have just run away too. What makes him so special that he can do that without a second thought? Doesn't he ever stop and think about the feelings of the people he left behind?_

_I wonder how he would feel if I ran away on him..._

_Ran away..._

_Maybe...** this** time... running away **is** the answer! Gran-Gran did it, and it worked out great for her! Besides, it would teach them all a lesson—you don't just go around talking marriage and planning a marriage without the bride's knowledge._

_That's it! I'll shamelessly run away. _

_Now, where should I go? And how? I don't want them to find me too soon and I don't want them to take long enough to resent me either. I just want to make a point._

_Wait! I know! It's just... perfect!_

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Special thanks: To flyawayohglory and Lyndotia, who beta-ed this chapter.

Author Note: Mike and Bryan officially announced that each nation has a different bender birth-ratio and that the Airbender birth-ratio was 100%; in other words, all children born from Airbenders are benders. As Mike and Bryan failed to present the whole math, I decided that when faced with the issue of mixed-nation parents, the bigger bender ratio wins out. If you don't like it or don't agree with it, you are welcome to write your own fanfiction about it.

Note to Kataangers, Zutarians, Maikos and all other shippers willing to read through this: Yes, the title of this fanfiction is a slight provocation. Those of you who are actually old enough to be here, in the M section, without breaking your country's laws, probably know that. Between summer-loves and prom-sweethearts, it takes a while until we find someone we want to spend the rest of our lives with and even then, sadly, divorce has become very frequent.

Forget about shipping wars. Most of _Avatar_'s cast is still very young; they have much to stumble through before they are mature and humble enough to think twice. During the course of this fanfic, I'll do my best to mature them up a bit more before I start pairing them off and I would really, really like it if other people chose to use this concept, not only in their fanfictions (whatever paring they feature), but in their personal lives.

My chosen main paring is Zuko X Katara (whatever my reasons are, there is no place for them here in this note), but there are some surprises along the way. Whatever flag you hail, you are welcome to read and review, as long as you do it reflecting the age you must have to be reading things in the M section.


	2. HighTail

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 2: High-Tail**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, all of which are only for recreational proposes only - NOT FOR MY PERSONAL PROFIT, and thus, so I do.

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"Now, where in the spirit world is it...?" came the muffled voice of her granddaughter from behind the pelt covering the door of the girl's bedroom. "Aha! Found it!"

Kana took off her glove and used her index finger to pull the pelt back just enough to observe Katara without being noticed. The girl was packing a ruck sack. A knowing twinkle appeared in Kana's eyes and a smirk on her mouth. She silently pulled the rest of the pelt back and entered the room. Still unnoticed, she decided it was time for some sage advice and unconditional support.

"Planing on going somewhere?" she asked in a quiet tone.

Katara froze in place like a glacier. "Ah, I... Eh, uh..."

"You missed a vowel... And look me in the eyes when you are talking to me."

Seeing the _I know what you're doing and why_ look on her Gran-Gran's face, Katara relaxed and slumped on the raised ice platform covered in pelts that the North-Polers called a bed. "It's new moon tonight so it will be easier to hide... I'm going to the Fire Nation. Zuko's family has a beach house that's never used. I can stay there for a while and won't bother anyone."

"You've found out, haven't you? ... I've been trying to talk some sense into your father's and brother's heads but they still see the blood on the snow. Coming back here made them face memories that thought they had already dealt with. They're using this to distract themselves. The whole tribe is."

"I know you understand it, Gran-Gran, but you don't approve of it, do you?"

Kana sat down beside Katara and placed her arm around the girl's shoulder. "Have you tried talking to them? To Sokka? To your Father? Especially to Aang?"

"Sokka and Dad, they'll try to convince me to go on with all of this, and hundreds of past lives won't prevent Aang from acting like a rejected thirteen-year-old boy. If I talk to him, he will get angry and run away. Everyone will pin me as an ungrateful little tart. Then he will get some..." she rolled her eyes, "_revelation from the universe..._" then exhaled, "and come back later, magnanimous, understanding and forgiving, and things are supposed to be _just fine_ after that." She took a slow deep breath.

"But things wouldn't be just fine, would they?"

"Maybe they would. Maybe not. I don't know. It's the first time I've stopped to think about long term plans that aren't war-related. How did you know that Gran-Papa was the one you wanted to cook for and have children with?"

"I had reference. It's a long way from one pole to another... I didn't have a bison... And I didn't make a straight line either. By the time I arrived here, I was a bit older, wiser... I still didn't know exactly what I wanted, but I had a very good idea of what I didn't want. For example, I still didn't want to marry Pakku."

"But you are married to him now."

"I'm more patient now than I was then... And his feet are warm." Katara gave a humorless giggle and Kana went on, "When you are my age, you will see that it's useless to meet other expectations other than your own. Don't force yourself to do something just because everyone and their pets think it's the right thing. Do what's right by you. If right is putting distance between yourself and the problem, then do it. Who knows? Maybe seeing things from a different angle will help you come to a solution."

Hugging the old woman, Katara buried her head on Kana's neck and murmured, "Thank you so much!"

"Your father, your brother, Aang... You know they mean well, don't you?"

"Yes, I know, and it makes this decision even more difficult. Please, don't let the tribe drag my name through the mud too much."

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"Hey there Appa... would you mind giving me a ride?"

- Sleepy groan. -

"I know, it's late and dark, but I need to go away for a while."

- Questioning groan. -

"Only me, if that's okay..."

- Angry groan. -

"Yeah, I know, its not nice. I know it'll hurt Aang but if I don't do this right now, I'll end up hurting him a lot worse later. I wish I wouldn't be hurting him at all but I don't have any clue of what else I can do."

- Appeased groan. -

"You don't even have to stay with me where I'm going. You can just come right back here to be there for Aang!"

- Accepting groan. -

"Thank you so much! When I sort this mess out, I'll cook something really really nice for you."

- Expectant groan. -

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The room on the second floor, third corridor, sixth door on the right side, otherwise known as the Fire Lord's Office, had seen better days... It also had seen worse days, but today was not particularly bright. There were scrolls scattered everywhere surrounding the new _Lord of the Nation_ as he paced back and forth, a hole burnt in the priceless antique, hand-made decorative rug. His eyebrows were knit, steam projecting out of his nose at every exhalation, shoulders tense.

He caught sight of the reflection of the un-scared side of his face on the surface of a vase and slapped the object, projecting it against the wall to the other side of the room. The unleash of energy brought him back to reality.

It was past midnight; he'd better go to bed and try to sleep a little. Rather then walk out of the door, he locked it and made his way to a tapestry behind a big potted plant that had red leaves. A picture of the Fire Nation's palace during sunset took up all the wall from ceiling to floor and hid a panel that, if pushed, slid sideways to reveal a passage. _To run away from kidnappers, murderers and worst of all, advisors! _Iroh had joked, while giving a young Zuko and Azula the most exciting tour of the siblings' lives.

Making his way through the narrow, dark, and humid stone passage towards his bedroom, he cursed himself for liking to play by the rules. An undefined number of stairs up, some lefts, a few rights, and he was pulling back the sliding panel behind the tapestry of a fire tiger-fox cub that hung inside his closet. The last thing he expected when he entered his bedroom was to see a black-clad Katara admiring a decorative fan made of peppercock tail feathers that hung up completely open above his beside table, one of his mother's favorite items.

"Should I be worried?" asked Zuko, giving Katara the second scare-of-her-life since Gran-Gran had caught her.

"Where did you come from!"

"Secret passages. Toph didn't tell you guys about them?"

"No, she didn't," Katara answered in earnest, then stopped herself from doing anymore small talk. "But that's not why I'm here. There's no need to worry; I just wanted to know if I could hide for a while in your beach house."

He lifted his one eyebrow. "Is it still hiding if you tell me where you are?"

"Yes, because I'm not hiding from you; I'm hiding from my father... and Sokka... a... and Aang..." Katara looked off to the side, biting her lower lip as she trailed off. "But I'm telling you so I can be found if something bad happens and you guys need my help. Now, can I stay at the beach house?"

"Sure, why not? It should be just as destroyed, dirty and empty as we left it. But before you go, sneak in the kitchen and steal some food from the pantry. Ground level, on the back."

About to turn and leave through the window, Katara took a good look at Zuko. His hair was in perfect condition, not a strand out of place, hair piece polished and gleaming. His clothes were tailored with expertize to fit him and him alone, with top quality fabric impeccably dyed in black and red. Yet in spite of all that, he looked like something that had been chewed, spat out and chewed up again by a saber-tooth mongoose lion.

"Uhg, what...?" Without thinking twice, Katara had wrapped her arms around Zuko's shoulders, surprising and disorientating him a bit. But he recovered quickly and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and they both gave a quick squeeze. A simple "Thank you" was said by Zuko and, then both let go. She pivoted and jumped trough the window, onto Appa's saddle.

Zuko took off his hair piece and the leather strings keeping his hair in place, then started to pick up, one by one, the mountain of pillows and cushions from his bed and toss them on the floor until only one was left behind. Without changing into pajamas or taking off his outer robes, he collapsed on the bed and used his Bending to put out the fires in his room.

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The sun had already fully emerged from the horizon and the birds were starting their daily routines when Katara reached the Fire Lord's Ember Island beach house. She made Appa go slower after her stop at the Capital; he was tired by then and there was no real need to make haste. The slower pace allowed the bison some brief snoozes.

They landed in front of the abandoned house. _Such a good house; such a waste,_ Katara thought as she unloaded her ruck sack and a bag with seal jerky and smoked fish, followed by a small cut of salted hippo cow meat and fruit, courtesy of the Fire Lord. Most of the fruits were still green, so they would make it through the week, all but a cantaloupe - her breakfast before she went to sleep - and two watermelons for Appa.

"Here you go Appa; these two are just for you. Sleep for the day, you need it. I guess at sunset is a good time for you to go back. You can do it alone, can't you?"

-Assertive groan.-

"Good, now go eat and rest," she said ruffling the fur on his middle paw. Before going to sleep herself, she put away the food inside the naturally cool, built-in, stone cup board.

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Toph was doing her best to feign sleep while Bumi tore down stone barricade after stone barricade. She reminded herself of what possessed her to accept the mad king's offer. Not returning to her parents house was one part of the reason. Learn to Bend earth with just her face was the other. He was old and crazy, but knew his Bending. Way too much, in her opinion, as the last bit of her rock blockade was crumbled away.

"Good try, but no sleeping-in in the middle of your training! You still have much to learn! Besides, today you have a fun task! I think you will be _hearing _forward to this!" A snorting hysterical laugh later, he was pulling the covers from her bed and motioning for her attendants to get inside the room and start making her presentable.

From the top of her special bed, a very comfortable mattress atop a wooden board suspended by ropes (Omashu's all night emergency delivery system was very silent to everyone but her), Toph felt the heat of the sun on her face and knew that one of her attendants had just opened the window. "What's so fun about getting a pet? Why do I have to get a pet? Between you and Aang, there are enough pets prowling about."

The old king sighed and looked down at the bed, extended his arm, and started to smooth down Toph's hair, in the same fashion a grandfather would. "Because animals are very smart, life-wise. Way smarter than us humans! They know how to make better friends than us!" He finished with a stream of his signature laughter.

Bumi always knew how to hit a nerve: Toph remembered how readily the badger moles had accepted her, despite their differences in species.

"Okay. Then where, oh _so_ wise _King_, will I be able to find a baby-something _willing_ to part with their family to prowl around me?" She made no motion to shake Bumi's hand from her.

"That's tricky, I guess..." Now that her hair was mostly tamped down, he moved to rub her back, from shoulder to shoulder. "No baby-something would ever leave their family if they could help it... But Flopsie has this special guest, a baby badger mole who was just born three days ago here in Omashu."

"Three days! That's when you started bothering me with this _pet talk_!" She disentangled herself from the sheets and stood in front of Bumi. "And that's when those Sandbenders trespassed into the underground caves! They captured the badger-mom, didn't they? How is she?"

That was a piece of news not even he could make sound cheerful. "Badger mole leather is sandstorm-proof."

Toph then knew exactly what happened._ They were not capturing to sell, they were hunting to skin and badger-mom didn't make it. Now I have another stone to pick with those, those... Argh!_

She tried to put on a tough front, but the glassy eyes and quivering lower lip ruined the effect. She strode out of the bedroom in her pale green, knee-length night gown, leaving two-inch-deep foot prints on the palace's hallways, and made her way to Flopsie's play pen to meet the baby.

The head attendant bowed to Bumi. "Your majesty is very wise. Lady Toph was starting to miss her friends. This will help her keep her mind from them for a while. It's a shame about the badger moles, though; they're such beautiful creatures."

Somberly, like the wise king he was, Bumi gave forth, "Now, now, when life gives you lemons, you sell them... And then use the money to buy peaches and then make peach cobbler!" He finished with a comical expression and a upthrust index finger. As he walked away, laughter could be herd echoing down the hallway as Bumi got his own joke.

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Special thanks: To the wonderful people who reviewed the first chapter, some of which added a lot of pressure to my plot weaving – I hope I'll be able to keep up with your expectations – and to flyawayohglory and Lyndotia, who beta-ed this chapter.


	3. Royal “GoWrongs”

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 3: Royal "Go-Wrongs"**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, all of which are only for recreational proposes only - NOT FOR MY PERSONAL PROFIT, and thus, so I do.

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After a little sleep, Zuko didn't feel any better than he did the night before. He woke just as the first rays of sun broke through the horizon but stayed in bed, willing the effects of his dreams away along with the guilt they brought forth. The fact that he was so tangled in his clothes that he could barely move also contributed to the situation. He shouldn't have gone to sleep thinking about the second worst, but also unintentional, screw-up in his life.

During his prodigal son stunt, no matter how he tried - and spirits knew he tried - he and Mai had never had enough time alone to act like the passion-filled teenagers that they were. After the war, things had only gotten worse... He was the highly sought-after Fire Lord who had a lot of territory, prisoners, crimes of war, trade agreements, unsatisfied governors, and livid weapons manufacturers, among other beasts, biting at his heels.

The little time he got to himself he used to sleep and the unchaperoned minutes he could steal for Mai and him during official functions were just long enough for anxious and very unromantic groping in dark corners and behind pillars. Thankfully, the Fire Nation had flowers of all kinds and colors... That and his secretary was the one who had to go through the trouble of putting a bouquet together while he did things like double checking a land-and-resources-distribution-agreement.

To make things worse, Mai's mother had come to the Capital for the "post-world domination party" his father had planned, but Mai's family was nothing if not adaptable. However, _"that old opportunistic hag," _Zuko's mental nickname for Mai's honorable mother, insisted on staying as a guest in the palace, sharing not only quarters but a bedroom with her daughter.

All his frustration, sexual and otherwise, ended up fueling regular and very, very graphic dreams that featured all the beautiful women he knew, one at a time or not... Though he did have his favorite ones. At least this was something he made his peace with after some _actually good_ advice from his way-past-the-happy-drunk-stage uncle after a _Music Night,_ when he was almost fourteen.

"_Zuko," Iroh started in a gruff deep voice, "these kinds of fantasies are like anuses: everyone has them and pretends they don't, but that won't stop them from farting and there is nothing they can do about it."_ _When Zuko's shock wore off, the old general was already asleep and emitting deep sonorous snores._

Yesterday could have been glorious. Mai had found a way to dismiss the guards, sneak into his office, and he was finally past three layers of proper attire, working on the fourth, when she did something to his neck that came right out one of his favorite fantasies. He called out the name of the woman staring in said fantasy. It sounded _nothing_ like _Mai_.

He was actually surprised that all he got away with was a _somewhat_ deserved, though no less stingy, slap on the good side of his face. She got out of his office without betraying any emotion at all, without slamming the door, and most importantly, without killing him. He spent the rest of his day cursing himself, his fantasies, his gender, and wracking his brain and office, thinking up ways to apologize.

By the time he went to sleep, he was no closer to a solution than he had been after Mai had left. Even though, at the time, Katara's hug had helped him feel a little less like a jerk, her surprise appearance in his bedroom had transformed itself into yet another one of his fantasies, the one he had just woken up from.

After deciding that cooking in the morning sun, wrapped in his Fire Lord regalia and bed clothes, wasn't helping him one bit, he proceeded to freeing himself. He took a dip in his royal bathtub full of cool water, dressed, and went to his office using the palace halls rather than the passages, taking the time to rehearse an excuse to cover up for Katara in case anyone noticed any missing food. He took the key from a pocket hidden in his sash and stiffened when the key only turned a quarter of the way. Someone had unlocked the door he had left locked from the inside.

Suspicious, he slowly turned the door knob, opening the door just a crack to take a sneak-peak. Li and Lo were inside, facing him._ Figures. _He fully opened the door with a frustrated expression on his face. Taking a quick glance at his surroundings, he noted the mess he left behind had been cleaned already._ Great; the last thing I wanted was for anyone to find out about my tantrum._

After fully entering the room and closing the door behind his back, he reached for a thick cord that hung from the ceiling, which looked like a servants bell, and pulled it. A heavy, velvet-like fabric unraveled from an inch long space between the wall and the ceiling, completely covering the door-wall for soundproofing. One of his own father's many additions to the room.

At exactly the time, Li and Lo bowed, but before they could properly greet him, he cut them off. "Save it." He walked past them to sit behind his desk.

"Fire Lord Zuko-"

"Lady Mai and her mother-"

"Left the Capital this morning-"

"In the first air-ship available."

Under his breath he said an insolent, "Of course she..." Then Li and Lo's words finally sunk in. "Wha... what do you mean _left the Capital?_"

They replied at the same time: "We mean that she left the Capital," and Zuko could hear the unspoken _moron_ at the end of the phrase. He groaned, stood up, slamming his fist on the table, then dropped heavily on the throne-like chair. "Where?"

"_Where_ what-"

"My Lord?"

"Where are they headed?" said Zuko, snarling between teeth. "So I can go and make a fool of myself until she decides to forgive me."

"We strongly advise-"

"That you leave things as they are."

They said that with such conviction that he looked at them as though they had transformed into a pair of purple dragons with green freckles.

"These are unstable times, my Lord."

"Groveling at Lady Mai's feet will show weakness and vulnerability."

"This could mean losing the respect and the support of the nobles that still haven't decided if they like it or not, this new world you want to build."

Zuko's paranoia alarm was triggered by the speech."You were very loyal to my grandfather and to my father." He eyed one, then the other. "Why would you give me advice that would _help_ me keep the throne?"

"We weren't loyal to your grandfather."

"We weren't loyal to you father."

"We were, we _are_ loyal to the Fire Lord-"

"Not to the individual which bears the tittle."

"I see..." He didn't know what to think about that. "So I should just ruin my relationship with Mai because doing otherwise would weaken my political image."

They replied as one, a very clear "Yes," then silence filled the room. Taking pity on the boy, Lo – or maybe it was Li – spoke in a soft tone. "Whatever reason it was that led to this quarrel, Lady Mai's reaction shows that things are better off exactly as they turned out to be."

In their minds' eyes, it was a twelve-year-old Zuko, dressed up in adult-sized robes, that cocked his head to the side and asked a soft and confused, "Why?"

"Because there will be a time when all the influential families of the Nation will try to ensure that one of their daughters will be your wife. You will have to chose a strong and confident woman with a good sense of justice, one that will persevere with grace through anything and everything that those who seek to influence you will throw her way."

"It takes a strong and confident man with a good sense of justice to find such a woman. Even if you are growing to be a man with these qualities, you still are a boy, and Lady Mai still is a girl. Let this matter rest; there is much that requires you attention here in the Capital. If, in the meantime, Lady Mai doesn't fin within herself reason to calm down and come back to straighten this out with you, then she isn't fit to be either the wife of the Fire Lord-"

"Or _your_ wife."

All Zuko could do was blink and choke out a "Thank you."

They bowed a "Good day, my Lord," then turned and walked to the door. Either Lo or Li pulled the would-be servant's bell and the fabric was lifted, showing the door once more. The other one opened the door and they both left.

As soon as they were gone, Zuko scoffed, _"Good day_... Maybe I should go see Father, then I could say this is a perfectly horrible day!"

He was lost in thought, contemplating Li and Lo's words and what they meant, when a girl from the kitchen staff pulled him from his thoughts by entering his office without knocking.

She gave an in-mid-step, hasty bow. "Fire Lord Zuko! A thief dared to steal from the Royal Pantry!"

He took his time sitting up straight again. At least this was something he was prepared to deal with. "A thief? Are you sure?"

Standing up straight after being acknowledged, the girl said confidently, "yes my Lord! There is some food missing."

"I see..." he pulled the top left drawer open, took out a piece of parchment and an ornate brush and dipped it in some prepared ink block. Then he wrote down some orders. "Take this to the head of security management." He slid the piece of paper to the opposite edge of his desk. "They'll see if there is any sign of forced entry. If there isn't-" _And there won't be, thanks to Katara's ice-keys technique_- "then it must be elephant rats."

"Elephant rats, my Lord?" she repeated, confounded, then asked herself out loud, "Can they eat a whole piece of salted meat, two watermelons, and a number of other fruits in one night?"

Zuko joined his hands at the top of the desk, attempting to look serious. "In Ba Sing Se's lower ring, I've seen elephant rats make the carcass of a platypus bear disappear in a manner of minutes. Azula brought those Dai Li rats with her when she came back. Might as well have brought some elephant rats too." _This is not completely a lie... this might actually be possible, if there were platypus bears inside Ba Sing Se's walls. Besides the one in the Zoo, that is._

The servant's eyes widened to impossible proportions, in Zuko's judgment. "Then we better exterminate them before they have a chance to multiply even more!"

"That would certainly be the best course of action. Poisoned baits and some traps will take care of it. I believe I can entrust you with this task... that is, in case a thief's presence is ruled out?"

"Yes, my Lord; I'll do it immediately." She approached to pick the parchment with the orders.

"Good, good." He nodded. "You are dismissed."

After bowing low, the servant left the office.

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Mornings started at a very slow pace in the South Pole. It was very difficult to get out of the soft, warm pelts to face the freezing temperatures but the tribe did it anyway, eventually.

Pakku was one of the first people up but only because Kana had the habit of completely pulling the pelts off of the bed when she got up. That's how she always woke everyone up, including the Avatar, except Sokka and Katara, who got a gentle shake and some cajoling.

So it was strange when everybody was gathered for breakfast save for Katara. Kana had her back to the whale bone table, frying some strips of jerky and heating the Avatar's tasteless sea weed soup. She kept to herself, waiting for the men to notice and do something about Katara's absence, which, to their credit, didn't take long.

Sokka shouted from Katara's bedroom, "She's not in here and her pelts don't look slept in!"

Hakoda went into chieftain mode. "Gather everyone; this doesn't look good. Mother, freeze the breakfast. We'll eat it later."

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No matter how tough, girls will be girls while around cute babies and Toph was no exception. Flopsie's veterinarian instructed her as how to hold the adapted cup while she fed the little badger mole some koala goat milk.

Baby badger had white fur, unlike the solid brown of a full grown badger mole, but such detail was lost on Toph. What marveled her was how soft the fur was under her fingers, how tiny and fragile the claws felt.

She stood, still in her night gown. Baby badger was so small she could hold it with one arm. It was wrapped in a blanket to keep it warm and it had taken immediately to Toph, nuzzling her, seeking her earthy smell.

"So... boy or girl?"

The middle age man laughed. "It's too early to tell. It will take a month and a half for it to grow it's boy's, or girl's, bits."

"Then I'll have to choose a neutral name for Baby. I can't keep calling baby _Baby_ for the rest of its life."

"Why not? I have a twenty five years old daughter who is married and just had her second child but no matter what, she'll always be my little baby girl."

Calling a huge earth moving beast _Baby_ did have its appeal, in Toph's opinion. "Okay... then Baby it is. When you are all mean and grown up, Baby, we will chase down those sand leeches and teach them a lesson they will remember for all generations!" She gave a maniac grin not unlike Bumi's which made the veterinarian shudder.

Baby decided it had had enough milk for one meal and started to fuss, seeking a more comfortable position to take a nap. Toph gave the cup to the vet and readjusted her hold. Suddenly she went as stiff as a board.

"Something wrong, Lady Toph?"

"Here, hold Baby." She held Baby out to him. As soon as he felt the wet filter through the blanket and his shirt, he understood.

With as much pride and dignity one could have after being wet by a whatever-baby, Toph went back to her bedroom, head held high and a huge wet spot on the front of her gown. _Damn you, Sugar Queen! I'm going to voluntarily take a bath, just like you always said one day I would. But I __swear you will never, ever, ever get wind of this!_

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Special thanks: To flyawayohglory and Lyndotia, who beta-ed this chapter.

Author Notes: Two things, both Iroh related.

1st, not all drunks slur pathetically; some manage to sound normal, though it's clear from their whole demeanor that they are not. Since I made myself a promise to never drink anything alcoholic (or use any kind of non-prescribed drugs), I'm the one who drives my friends home after parties, and I take these chances to make an unofficial behavior pattern study. Drunks come in all kinds and shapes; the slurring ones tend to be the more comical so they stand out more but my mind simply could not produce a slurring Iroh, and based on what the series shows, Zuko would _NEVER_ ask Iroh for this kind of _sensitive advice_ if the old man was in his normal state of mind – my particular projection would be of Iroh (non-drunk) telling the whole ship about it and summoning an off-the-schedule Music Night to "celebrate."

2nd, Iroh's words came right out of my mother's mouth. When it came to _these_ matters, she was as blunt as a baseball bat, which was good... and traumatizing... I don't wanna talk about this anymore.


	4. Not Everyone and Their Pets

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 4: Not Everyone and Their Pets**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and/or personality) recognizable from the series "Avatar: the Last Airbender." I don't own the plot of the series "Avatar: the Last Airbender," which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

* * *

"It's no use," Hakoda stated to the men and women gathered around in the center of the rebuilding tribe. "She just isn't here. She must have gone somewhere with the bison. That's it, everyone; back to whatever chores you have to do." Half the day was gone and the village wasn't so big that it would take a whole day to search for someone.

"Are you sure? There must be another explanation—this is not like Katara, not at all!" Aang insisted, as the tribe dispersed.

"We all know that the only thing remotely close to a ship that's been around lately are our boats and they're all accounted for," reasoned Sokka. "Even with Bending, the men on the water-cutters would have caught up with her and Appa wouldn't simply disappear and leave you behind, Aang."

"But why would she do such a thing?" Pakku asked, miffed. His reply was a snort from Kana. "You know something about it, don't you, woman?"

"All I know is that I didn't raise my granddaughter to be a mother at seventeen."

Sokka caught on quickly to what was going on. "Gran-Gran, you told her about the surprise party! _Wait_, if you knew she ran away, why didn't you say anything _earlier_?"

"She found out on her own, Sokka. It wasn't the party itself she was upset about." Kana gave a pointed, accusing look to Pakku. "And I didn't say anything to buy her some time."

Aang hadn't exactly understood what Kana meant but Pakku quickly realized where she was heading and recognized the problem. If anyone should have seen this coming, it was him.

"I guess," he started with false congeniality while Kana rolled her eyes, sensing a bruised pride speech coming their way, "that running away from the proposal..." She turned around and stared to walk away, unwilling to turn this into a _you-did/I-did argument_, but Pakku raised his voice childishly and went on, crossing his arms in petulance, "... is slightly better than running away from the engagement."

She stopped and looked up, annoyed. Then she decided that Pakku deserved a good rebuff, digging up a bit of old resentment she had never quite made her peace with, and dished back without turning to look at him: "There is nothing stopping him from going after her." Then she resumed pace.

Pakku physically flinched, dropping the petulant stance, but stubbornly refused to step back. He put his hands on his hips, not caring that he was making a spectacle of himself to those around. "Now that there's no war, you mean."

To Kana, that was the last fish bone. "Even if we were still at war, a _Bending Master_ such as him would be _fine_. Besides, he'd be a _lousy fiancé_ if he let his intended betrothed go frolic around the globe, especially in the middle of a war." And with that said, she stomped away.

With as much dignity as he could gather, Pakku maintained the pose and waited until Kana was out of sight. Still posing, he tuned to Hakoda. "Excuse me, Chief; I believe I have some apologizing to do." And then he went in the direction where Kana just had disappeared.

"Mom is a harridan; I don't know why anyone would want to marry her," confided the Chief to the boys.

"Katara is just like Gran-Gran, and I don't know why anyone would want to marry her either," Sokka stated in his matter-of-fact way while shrugging his shoulders.

"Katara is nothing like her!" Aang exclaimed.

Sokka gave him a wide eyed stare. "You _really_ should get to know Katara better."

* * *

Yawning, Appa heavily got up on his six legs and shook himself. He took his time eating his watermelons before turning to the house and letting out a calling groan to Katara. From the direction of the entrance could be heard phomp,_ phomp, phomp, abounf_, some cursing, _phomp, phomp_, then Katara opened the front door.

"Ready to go back, Appa? Have a safe trip and don't push yourself too much. It's been two months since you did any intensive flying."

-Good bye groan.-

Sighing, Katara watched Appa disappear into the horizon. First... she would take a bath. Then after that, she would open all doors and windows, sweep the floor, and dust off the furniture in the rooms she would use. That should take the rest of the day.

Tomorrow morning, she would hit the town and look for some odd jobs just to have a bit of pocket money and something to keep her busy.

* * *

_Something is wrong, _Zuko thought as he entered the anteroom of Ozai's cell. His father had a self-satisfied grin plastered to his face.

"I'm not in the mood to play twenty questions today, Zuko."

"I don't care; I'll keep asking until you get tired of hearing me ask and finally tell me."

"My, my, so determined to see your beloved mother... but you don't even think twice about your sister. You just locked her up in a hospital." Ozai taunted...

... and Zuko fell for it, roaring, "Don't you dare say I don't care! Azula spends the whole day sitting in front of a mirror and talking with Mother!" He lowered his voice. "Except that Mother isn't there. Azula went insane because of the comet, and I was hoping maybe Mother could help."

Pretending this was a normal chat over tea and biscuits, Ozai went on, "Azula was always insane; it's one of those family tree diseases. You would have noticed, if you weren't busy hiding behind your mother's skirts. If Azulon found out, he would have just had another son as a spare in case something happened to Lu Ten and then we would have been flushed out of the line to the throne. Competition kept her grounded; pitting her against you kept her grounded."

Through his teeth Zuko stated, "You could have stopped it when Grandfather died."

"And lose such a promising strategist? You won't be Fire Lord for long. You are too soft. You don't understand that we all have roles to play. You were an untalented child and your role was to be the one your sister would compete against." Ozai paused, as if to take a sip of tea. "If you hadn't turned your back on me during the eclipse, I would have made you Fire Lord."

Zuko lost his temper once more. "Don't lie! You would have Azula crowned anyway!"

"I'm not lying. Insane rulers don't last long. The council and the nobles wouldn't have accepted her. Her role was to become my main strategist, the most trusted advisor of the Phoenix King."

The young Fire Lord couldn't believe his ears. "Are people just means to an end to you?"

"Yes. Just like Iroh and I were means to Azulon's ends. That's how things are done in the court, Zuko. The nobles and the council will expect exactly this from you. If you don't deliver, that shinny crown won't be there on your head for long."

Chuckling as Zuko stormed out of the prison, Ozai lay down on his cot. _I'm surprised he reached the two month__s __mark as Fire Lord... Humph, Iroh must be breathing down his neck. I have to admit he seems to be getting smarter,__though not by much__._

* * *

Bato maneuvered the boat to pass by the signaling float one more time. Something was bothering his friend; he could tell because Hakoda had failed to hook the float three times already. Once they were close enough to the float, Hakoda cast out again and got it in the second try. They both started pulling the thick chord, bringing the king oyster crab traps to the surface then letting the boat's anchor fall.

Both men put on thick tiger seal leather gloves and started sorting though their catch. King oyster crabs with the right size and age had their pearls extracted and a tiny rounded pearl shard was put inside to become a full pearl in a couple of years. The ones obviously too old were carefully pried open and had their pearl extracted if they had one but didn't receive a pearl seed. After that, all of them were returned to the ocean.

"Your idea to seed all the shells we could with the pearls we had left instead of just with a shard is what is saving us now," started Bato. The idea was really good; all pearls were bigger than usual due to the time they took to be harvested and their initial size but he said it just to start a conversation. Soon he would maneuver the talk too.

Hakoda took the bait. "I noticed that every time there was a raid, a few pearls disappeared along with the Benders. Once they stopped raiding for Waterbenders, they would start raiding for the pearls and whale bones. Oh look, a black lipped one with a black pearl to boot! Those are rare!"

A flat, button-shaped, iridescent black pearl the size of a green grape was put inside the pouch hanging from Hakoda's neck. "This one pearl we'll put aside until things are more stable and people have the money to pay what this is worth."

"I'm sure what we are stocking up will hold out until this lot is ready for next harvest."

"Arnook will like these. Seems that people at the north are in a hurry to marry and their stock of pearls for necklaces is low. With a bit of arm-twisting, we can get a good number of king lobster crabs without giving up too many pearls." He put the oyster crab in a separate crate. "I never thought there was such a thing as too much tiger-seal jerky."

"Oyster in the south and lobster in the north; it's all about balance." Bato paused to wipe sweat from his forehead. "Speaking of hurry to marry..."

"I was going to talk the boy out of it," Hakoda cut Bato off, irritated. "I was just going to do it at the very last minute, so he would have no time to come up with some Avatar soluti – ouch!" He got pinched on the wrist.

"Looks like the little fellow has some fighting spirit in it."

"Yes, I know. This one has blue lips."

"Pearl?"

"Yes, one of the most beautiful I've ever seen." He showed Bato the blue, teardrop-shaped pearl the size of a nut.

"Tradition is tradition; it pinched you. It deserves a whole pearl instead of just a shard."

"I'll give it that small green one from earlier. As much as I would like to keep it, I'm sure this one will turn it into one of the most beautiful pearls ever." Hakoda smirked and made a mark – his personal mark – on the oyster's shell. Since he was the one pinched, the future pearl was his by right. Then he went on with the conversation. "Whoever started with the _sixteenth-birthday-wedding-planning_ anyway?"

"Elder Hibari. She is in a hurry to marry off as many of the girls as she can... she took it upon herself to make sure the tribe recovers as fast as possible."

"You know she is like that because she couldn't have children herself, the spirits forgive her. Speaking of hurry to marry..." he went to the side of the boat and gently lowered the king oyster crab into the water. "When are you going to fetch that _lady friend_ you got yourself?"

"I don't know if I can, Hakoda."

"Why not? She seemed to be a nice Earth Kingdom woman, from were I stood."

"You stood on the boat; she was beyond the shore line!"

"Still, she seemed young enough to give you children."

"She... she has Fire Nation eyes."

Choosing to keep quiet, Hakoda just kept working. Soon the trap was empty. They tied it safely on the side of the boat, pulled the anchor, and made way for the next float.

As he threw the hook, Hakoda picked up the conversation. "Maybe it would be good if she came here. People have to learn to accept them once more. If we don't, it will only start another war in the future." He paused to pull the trap. "What she was doing outside the Fire Nation?"

"She said she deserted the army."

"Sounds like my kind of Fire Nation people."

"I think there is more to it."

"I think you would make her happy and she would make you happy in return. You could make each other even happier together. Does she have a sister?"

They laughed.

"You know, setting sail—taking their attention from the tribe—was the best thing that I could have done. I don't regret it. But I never thought the price would be so high. When I was in the Air Temple, I had to keep reminding myself that Sokka and Katara weren't even seventeen yet."

"Really?" Bato didn't even look up.

"Yes. I have to get to know them all over again. But that's not what really bothers me."

"Then what is it?"

"I think both of them are in the verge of a teen tantrum. Katara already bolted and I don't think it was only because of the whole birthday-proposal thing."

"They are in the middle of their _teenhood,_ both of them came back home in one piece and without any children hanging from their hips... if you don't count the Avatar, that is. I think they are entitled their share of teenage existential crisis and angst."

"The rest of the tribe is not so understanding. Sokka wanted to build something that would make pulling the traps from the water much easier, or so he said. The old gulls gave him a hard time about it. I really don't see why they felt so offended."

"They want everyone to have it as hard as they did; it's a pride thing." The oyster crabs were sorted and the trap was empty. "All twenty traps are here. We can go back."

"My back is killing me," Hakoda moaned while straightening up. "At least we have a whole year before we have to do this again. Thank the spirits for small blessings."

* * *

Special thanks: To flyawayohglory and Lyndotia, my betas.

Author Notes: To answer the old question of where I found the Airbender birth ratio information... at first, I read it at avatarspirit dot net but for the life of me, I can't find it there anymore. But I did find it on avatar dot wikia dot com. Searching for Airbending, under Origin, their exact words are: _"__Unlike other nations, all Air Nomads are born Airbenders, due to the high amount of spirituality infused in the culture.__"_ So there you have it.

Also inside avatar dot wikia dot com, if you search for "history of the world of Avatar" you will find a great time line, projected with information from the series that includes the Chinese zodiac sign of the characters *fan-girl squeak* and on chinesezodiac dot com you can find the characteristics of each sign and see if they match the characters personalities. I was pleasantly surprised, and I wonder whether or not it was coincidental.


	5. Unraveling

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 5: Unraveling**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fan fiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fan fiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

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All boats were accounted for and secured in the port, all the fish and algae were sorted and put where they would be kept, the whole tribe had had dinner and children were being put to sleep while the adults of each household gathered around the fires in the living rooms to talk "grown-up stuff" before they themselves joined the children in slumber. This was the background for Appa's arrival at the South Pole.

He landed noiselessly on the soft snow of the Chief's courtyard and would have remained unnoticed until the next morning if he hadn't yawned. Aang jumped through one of the windows and started to circle the bison, asking various questions and expecting answers. Appa just looked at him with a mildly annoyed glint in his eyes, yawned once more and let himself fall on one side, for all appearances asleep and snoring.

Hakoda and Sokka, who had followed the anxious youth, hoping that Katara had come back, were just as disappointed.

"Come, Aang." The Avatar felt Hakoda's large hand land heavily but gently on his shoulder. "Let him rest. It seems Appa really needs it." Aang let himself be led inside the ice-made house.

Meanwhile, Sokka made a show of inspecting the still-attached saddle. He knew he would find nothing there. Running away from Zuko, running away from Azula, running away from Azula with Zuko... It all had taught both him and Katara a lot about not leaving any trace behind. As he saw his father's back disappear behind the thick skin covering the doorway, he moved to inspect the beast's legs and feet. There, he did find something very interesting: tree leaves.

These were mango tree leaves. He remembered seeing a lot of those leaves covering the ground around Ember Island's beach house. It only made sense that Katara had gone there; she really, really liked mangoes. Plus, even though there was no visual evidence, a spot on the saddle smelled like delicious salted hippo-cow meat. He gave himself a smirk and a pat on the back. Then Sokka reached to scratch the underside of one of Appa's feet, causing a light tickling sensation on the bison, who cracked an eye open.

Sokka whispered "Thank you, big bud," hid the leaves in a pocket and went back inside.

"Found something on the saddle?" This first questions was Aang's.

"Nope." Sokka said neutrally.

"Found something _not_ on the saddle?" Hakoda asked, thinking that maybe Sokka might have forgotten to search more thoroughly.

Sokka leveled his gaze with his father's and said "nothing" just as neutrally and easily as before. He didn't like lying to his father, not one bit, but as Katara had sometimes reminded him, since their father hadn't been there for a lot of things before, now it was difficult to _let_ him be there. Besides, to even suggest he would not have looked was an insult to his sharp detective skills.

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Next morning, sitting in front of an old mirror that had rusted around the edges because of the sea air, Katara was dressed in her Fire Nation clothes and testing new hair styles. She didn't feel like having her hair down, but using her usual water tribe style was out of question. Her best idea so far was just tying it into high pony tail. On Ember Island she might see important people she had been introduced to (and warned about) by Zuko, and these important people, if they knew why she was there, would probably sell her out to Aang in hopes of being friends with the Avatar, so a completely different hair style was in order. Also, she probably would have to keep to the poorer districts of the beach point, though on Ember Island, poor meant as nice as Ba Sing Se's middle ring.

Having no one else to take care of but herself created this multi-faceted feeling. It was freeing, lonely, thrilling, in good and bad ways. She didn't have anyone to worry about, but also didn't have anyone to worry about _her_. Her decisions were all her own; she wouldn't have to share the pride of making the right decision, but if she made a poor one, it was her fault and her fault alone. She knew very well she could handle this kind of responsibility, but it was the first time she would try it without the safety net her friends provided.

She checked her hair one more time – the pony tail sure made her look different and she liked it – then hid her necklace under her breast bindings, took a deep breath, and tuned to leave. The walk to the city was calm, the air was still cool. Once finally in the working neighborhood she saw that the only people up so early were the people who had no choice in the matter.

Merchants were pulling their carts full of vegetables and fruits, organizing themselves in a market; the servants and cooks were haggling over prices; employees were sweeping out the night dust from the establishments. It was whole world of activity that clashed with the resort-like fame of the place. Walking around almost idly, she spotted a help-wanted sight on the window of a modest looking restaurant.

_Well, this is it._ Katara bounced on the balls of her feet and took a deep breath before approaching and taking a peek inside. There was a woman sweeping the floor with her back to the door. She had long hair and was humming quietly to herself. Katara entered, took a few steps and as politely as possible called for the woman's attention. When their eyes met, both of them were shocked.

_This woman is from the Water Tribe! She just _has_ to be from the Water Tribe!_

Meanwhile, said woman looked like as if she had just seen a ghost. Before Katara could do anything, the broom clattered against the floor and the woman was right in front of her, hands rising to touch Katara's cheeks.

"Kya... you..." was followed by three not humorous laughs. "You are Kya's!" The woman's voice was quiet and breathy, filled with wonder. "Kya and Hakoda's... you and your brother and Little Zuko, and the Avatar... I... It's such an honor!"

Katara fought back a sense of panic. She grabbed the woman's wrists, pulled her close and looked her in the eyes to try to convey what she meant better, before starting to explain in an almost whisper. "I'm not here as Katara..." Seeing that the woman caught her drift, Katara let go of her and completed in a normal volume. "My name is Mizu, I'm from Shu Jing, my mother and my father were in the army..."

"And you came to Ember Island to help your Aunt Junko with her restaurant." The woman, Junko, smiled and took Katara's hand in hers, guiding her towards the kitchens. "Come, let's get you an apron. Your first task will be to take down the help wanted sign, then you'll help me put down the chairs. We can _catch up_ in my apartment, after we close. The other employees will be arriving soon."

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One of the epitomes of Fire Nation Ladyshipness stood sighing at the sight of her daughter inside her darkened room, sitting cross legged on the bed, hunch backed, arms crossed, eyes angry and a lop sided pout marring her otherwise lovely mouth. She had let the girl brood ever since they arrived, and it seemed, she was not done with it just yet.

"I don't care about what he did or didn't do, you are going to open the blinds, freshen up, put on a bathing suit and join me in the Spa."

Mai knew this was the _do what I say or else_ tone and started doing as ordered, making a point of showing she _didn't_ want to do it, taking her time getting up, using unnecessary force on the windows... Her mother stepped inside the room and closed the door, all the while bearing a scowl herself.

"And I don't want to hear one complaint from you!" her mother proclaimed. "We will relax in a warm mud bath, have every inch of our skin cleansed and treated with the finest oils, have a healthy lunch, then spend the whole afternoon in a full body massage session. I'm sure you will feel much better afterwards. Then we will return to the Capital and you will work whatever it is out with the Fire Lord."

Mai, about to put on an outer robe, stiffened. "There's nothing to be worked out."

"Of course there is. Did he break up with you?"

"No." The joke-threat _never break up with me again _played in her mind.

"Then there is still something to be worked out."

Mai, not believing what her mother was saying, turned to look her in the eyes.. "You don't even know..."

The woman cut her off harshly. "And I said I don't care. It's none of my business."

"Yes it is!" Mai's jewelry box met the floor. "It would not have happened if you had just gone back to Father and Tom-Tom and let me be."

"How selfish _are_ you, Mai?" Her mother's tone was full of reproach and righteous indignation. "If I had let you run wild again, with a boy no less, people would start talking! It could ruin the family's reputation! Were you even thinking about the family's business and connections? Were you even thinking about your brother's future? Clearly not!" Controlling herself not to shout, Mai's mother went on between clenched teeth: "You want to end up just like that Water Tribe girl? Master Waterbender and all that but still a floozy, a tart! She's lucky the Avatar took pity on her; besides, she _is _Water Tribe, no one expects much from those barbarians, but you... you come from one of the nation's finest families!" Both of them held the gaze, but it wasn't long before Mai averted hers to the floor. More composed, her mother opened the door and walked out. "I expect you to be mud bathing with me in ten minutes."

Mai only half heard her. She was still looking at the floor. Her gaze had, by chance, landed on a ring with the family seal etched on it and now she was flirting with an impulsive idea. Her anger at her mother defeated her better judgment; she picket the ring and went to the hawkery.

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Honorable Chief Hakoda of the Southern Water Tribe I, Fire Lord Zuko, hope this missive finds you in good health.

As both of us are aware, the deadline that I requested to organize myself in regards to the matter we discussed in the Four Nations Cooperation Meeting that took place in Ba Sing Se is fast approaching.

Due to the nature of my findings, I thereby formally request a meeting between the two of us, to take place at a location yet to be chosen on a date and time of your convenience.

I sincerely hope that we can reach a conclusion that is agreeable, if not ideal, to all parties involved.

May the sun spirit bless yours as it blesses mine, Fire Lord Zuko

_THAT bad, hmm?_ Hakoda scratched his chin.

Outside, Aang was trying to get Appa to take him where Katara was, Sokka was trying to calm Aang down, and Appa seemed to be enjoying the attention, as though it were a game: throw Aang off, put some distance between them and play catch for a while, and when Aang was almost grabbing the reins, throw him off again. As much as it amused the bison, it certainly annoyed the Airbender.

_I wonder what is it. Though I have to admit, the boy Fire Lord has his head and his heart in the right places. He doesn't like some of the things done in the name of his nation any more that the rest of us do. I wonder if I'll be able to keep level headed if it's something horrible._ He could see through the window, Sokka had lost his patience with Aang.

His son had just yelled and the young monk looked properly chastised but it seemed like he might start crying. Sokka soon realized he might have been too harsh and started to apologize and to try to reason with Aang. Pride at his son's tact blossomed inside Hakoda's chest.

_Perhaps I'm not the one who should handle this, I'm too jaded. I might let my resentment color my vision and ruin future possibilities. Besides, it's time the tribe starts to see Sokka as the future Chief. Zuko and him... they worked well together when they broke us out of the Boiling Rock. I'm sure whatever they decide will be the best, under the circumstances._

The doorway-skin was pulled aside so Hakoda's call for Sokka would reach the boys. Both of them came to answer. "It's all right Aang, I only called Sokka. You can go back to playing with Appa," the chief said, hoping the young monk would not make a big deal out of it.

"Why? Is there a problem if I come too?" It seemed Aang _would_ make a big deal out of it.

"No problem at all. It's just a Water Tribe issue that I want to talk to Sokka about, you don't need to stop what you were doing."

"But I'm the Avatar, I'm sure I can help!"

_Snow spirit. please cool my temper and give patience, he is only thirteen... _"I know that and I thank you, Avatar Aang, but I also believe that Sokka is more than qualified to see to it without your assistance."

"Oh..." _If I insist it will look like I think Sokka is incompetent. Why does it seems no one wants me around anymore? _Aang's shoulders tuned inwards and his whole demeanor deflated. "I... I'll go feed Appa then, he must be hungry by now..." So he did, feet dragging.

Sokka had his mouth open and was about to voice a protest when his father gave him the letter from Zuko. He was able to pick up the same vibe his father had and asked quietly, "What did you discuss?"

The answer was very solemn. "What became of the Waterbenders taken during the raids."

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Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.


	6. New Directions

**Kisses aren't Promises**

**Chapter 6: New Directions**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is withing my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

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Toph was taking a cool bath before going to lunch. As strange as that might seem, it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. The first time Baby peed on her, she was grossed out, plain and simple. Then yesterday she decided that if she was going to be Baby's family, she had endure it so she could take care of him.

Besides, it was just pee, no big deal.

She could just let it dry on its own and all would be fine, but she soon found out that the stench of it was more that even she could handle. Having put her hand on a blankie full of the more... solid kind of body-disposal also helped a great deal.

Besides, the tub she was in was made of solid bent stone, sunken below floor level and featured a step that could also be used as a seat. The water came above waist level and the floor was stone. No murky, muddy, blurry river bottoms or sand; as long as she had direct contact with the stone, she could see just as well as if she was on dry land.

She had scrubbed herself clean and rinsed the soapy suds before setting foot inside the tub. The air was filled with the scent of the oil the maid had chosen, one of the few Toph didn't object too. It smelt like the sea, but sweet instead of salty. They said this scent was extracted from seaweed and was supposed to be energizing, but Toph doubted it. The sea-prunes she ate at Hama's were made of seaweed and they smelled nothing like this scent, and she didn't feel particularly energized after eating them.

If there weren't going to be important people at lunch, she would not have agreed to the scented oil at all, but she admitted, if only to herself, it was kind of nice... to get rid of the pee smell that clung most stubbornly to the nose, even after the pee itself had been washed off.

After the lunch, she would nap until mid afternoon, and then she and Bumi would train until she was so exhausted she could barely move. She'd dine on two plates full of sweet oatmeal porridge with smashed apple and pear, drink a cup of honeyed milk, brush her teeth and finally pass out on her bed. These had been the happiest days of her life.

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When the sun clock showed twelve and a half and barely a quarter of the tables in the restaurant were occupied, Katara, wearing a white apron that covered her entire front, started to worry. But soon the kitchen helper, Lien, a kind woman past her sixties, put her mind at ease. "Dear, we serve the servants. They'll arrive after their employees are done eating their fill. Here," she handed her a knife and a fist-sized orange, "have a fruit."

Katara started to peel her snack. "If we serve the servants then who are the people eating right now?"

"Town's working people." Lien moved to the kitchen door and motioned for Katara to come closer, so both could see the people sitting at the tables, and pointed to a woman with her teen-aged daughter. "They own the clothing shop down the street. Good quality and reasonable price. If they charged more, the high-ups would start buying from them. You know, for rich people _reasonably priced_ means cheap, and spirits save them from wearing anything that didn't cost at least twice what it's worth."

Afterwards she pointed to a man that seemed to wear a permanent scowl. "He makes furniture. The only time he isn't scowling like that is when he's working with wood. He was one of my daughter's boyfriends, then he enlisted himself in the army and was called. He made some ranks before losing the border outpost he was in charge of, and his leg, in a devastating attack. He insists that someone put sleeping herbs on everybody's food, there was no way they could have missed a whole Earth Kingdom battalion marching their way."

Then pointed at yet another table, where a group of young adults sat, talking a lot and gesticulating wildly. "Those there by the window, they work in the Town's Hall. The others are common people who came either to visit their relatives, or to take a short vacation... or both. The beach to the north of the city is open for us commoners. The water is colder there, because of an ocean current that comes from the north pole or something like that. I say we got the best deal; soft boiling in the sea isn't an improvement from roasting on land."

Katara had to smile, in spite of herself. Lien had an opinion and a tale about anything and everything. It was nice to talk to her.

Surprisingly for her, the cook, Deshi, was a man. Tall, muscled and thick armed, head shaved bald. He too had been in the army, but had retired because of lung problems caused by inhaling too much dirt. Since he couldn't breathe right, his bending was highly impaired, but still good enough for cooking. Junko had introduced him as a special friend, and by the way she said it, along with the wink, Katara gathered he was more than a friend but not quite a _manfriend -_ he definitely wasn't a boy - and wondered if it really meant what she thought it meant.

There was also Gan, twenty two and full of energy, who ran errands outside the restaurant and delivered food. He was a war orphan; both his mother and his father had high ranks and even if he wasn't exactly rich when they died, he was very well off. Maybe because of that he had pulled all the scams he could to keep himself out of the army, from faking chicken-pox to telling the selectors he was a bisexual nymphomaniac. In the end, all it took was a bribe that liberated him from all his inheritance, but he said his parents left him that money for him to live, and it might well have saved his life. "A coward alive is more useful than a dead brave," that was his motto, but he was the first to go help people, be it with the fishing or saving someone from a burning house. He was a pacifist through and through.

Soon enough, more and more people started to come inside.

"See? There they are. Most of them are cooks and kitchen staff. I guess no one really likes to cook and clean after themselves. Go check your hair, no one likes hair in their food." Katara went to do as Lien told her. Now her hair was in a bun for sanitary reasons. All of Junko's staff had welcomed her warmly and, so far, all the patrons had been polite.

Before going to Junko's apartment, they would stop by an all-purpose shop to buy a novel, some parchment, a few brushes and ink blocks. Katara took way too long to make simple notes and her calligraphy was atrocious. It was perfectly justifiable by the long time the tribe was isolated, but unacceptable, plain and simply unacceptable. As a homework of sorts, Katara would copy from the book to improve her writing.

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"... And here, here, here and here," the Mechanist indicated on the topographic map that was covering Zuko's desk, "we can put the steam-boilers inside these cracks on the volcano's chimney. Of course it might be tricky because of the high temperatures, but it can be done safely with a few fire and earth benders."

"AND, this way you can cut back eighty percent of the usage of mineral coal. " Teo nicely wrapped up his father's speech. The boy had always been much more practical than his father.

Zuko nodded enthusiastically. In his hands were several plans for new cities that would be built on the uneven volcano sides. There were big channels, comparable to the ones used for dams, the only difference being that they would be used to make sure that, in the event of an eruption, the lava flow would run its course at a safe distance from the cities. The architecture had elements from the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation and from Air Nomad temples too. It was beautiful.

Using the heat of the volcano to power the industry meant a huge decrease on the taxes and an international face-saving, since it would allow him to give the most recently acquired coal mines back to the Earth Kingdom.

Alongside the Mechanist there were an Alchemist – Lee, a Fire Nation native – and a Botanist – Joo Dee, from the Earth Kingdom, graduate of Ba Sing Se's university. Their tasks had been finding ways to fix and prevent the environmental disasters that happened in small, poor villages. Also, thanks to the deceptively poor soil and the inadequate way of clearing the fields (by burning down all the native vegetation) an alarmingly large portion of land was barren and needed reclamation so it could be used again, be it for pastures, agriculture or for planting firewood trees, preferably in a not so distant future.

This meeting of minds was the background for the delivery of a message for Zuko. The servant pointedly lingered longer than necessary, and Zuko noticed that someone had mended the wax to make it look like the letter had not been violated. The crest in the wax belonged to Mai's family and the message was but two words: _It's over._

The muscles on Zuko's face visibly tensed, but all he did was crumple the letter into a ball and throw it over his shoulder, then turned to the trio he was commissioning. "I believe next you were going to present to me the sewage treatment system?"

"Yes, of course..." Alchemist Lee took the lead. "First it would be necessary to redirect a part of the underground channels and galleries, but with a few earth and water benders it wouldn't cause too much inconvenience to the people..."

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Sokka was in his room with an abacus, calculating how much money he would have to take with him. He grunted when he reached an adequate sum and proceeded to pack some things. It was the first time since the end of the war that he'd been this serious and focused. Hakoda had just put a huge package on his back.

It was his golden chance to prove himself a good future leader to the tribe, especially the new comers. This task would be easy and difficult at the same time. Zuko was his friend and his father had already told him that all people wanted was closure; any kind of closure he was able to bring back would be more than enough... But it was international affairs, crimes of war, it was _official_! Himself and his performance would be scrutinized to the last detail and what he did and said would be judged. Water tribe didn't have a good reputation in the Fire Nation, thanks to years of propaganda.

_Maybe I should brush up my table manners with Gran-Gran before I go...Yeah, definitely, table manners. Also I have to write to Suki, tell her I may be late to visit her... Oh boy, I wish I could go with Aang, It would be faster and he wouldn't be left behind feeling... well, left behind..._But he couldn't. If he took Aang along, it would seem like he couldn't do things by himself and had to rely on the Avatar's help. He couldn't afford that.

Fortunately this event would turn out to be one of a long list of compensations that the universe still had to offer Sokka. There was the beginning of a commotion outside and he ran to see what it was about: on the line of the horizon, a Fire Nation Ship with the Southern Raiders flag. However, it didn't show any signs that it intended to come closer.

He climbed the protective walls that were built around the growing city and met with Bato and his father on the top. The latter handed him a spyglass and made a sharp movement with his head, pointing his chin toward the ship.

A small boat had just been lowered to the water and someone was climbing down a rope ladder in order to get aboard. The captain of the raider's ship was also looking at them through a spyglass and his mouth moved as if he were passing orders. Soon a white flag took the other flag's place.

"That thing will break and sink before it covers half the way here." Sokka said giving the spyglass back to his father, who took one last look through it and motioned for someone to come closer.

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Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.


	7. Lies, Safe Truths, HalfTruths

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 7: Lies, Safe Truths, Half-Truths**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

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Pakku was the one to come forward. He was given the spyglass and received a command from Hakoda. "The quicker we know what they want, the sooner they'll leave. Bring that boat here." The poor soldier had just picked up the oars when the boat was suddenly and swiftly propelled by the water. One of Pakku's students bent a passageway into the wall, and all but Pakku himself gathered around it to greet the visitor.

"Thank you, thank you very much for the ride!" The young woman, around her early twenties and clearly unused to the weather, seemed truly grateful.

"I'm Chief Hakoda. To what do we owe this visit?"

"I'm Seaman Apprentice Bao. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but I have an urgent message for Avatar Aang." She presented a scroll.

"Someone please call Aang here." A muffled "yes sir" answered. "Is Fire Lord Zuko well?" Hakoda asked trying to pry more information out of their unexpected guest.

"I suppose he is?" She half-asked, half-stated, obviously confused. Then her expression cleared as she understood what the Chief meant. "Oh, this isn't from Fire Lord Zuko. It's from the Head Fire Sage Shyu. He asked that we deliver it since it would be a minor detour from our route. It seems they are having a lot of trouble with a spirit full of hatred and resentment. It's become so powerful it's threatening people's lives and it's beyond anything they could do to help. The Head Sage thinks Avatar Aang may be able to calm this spirit down, since he can enter the Spirit World."

The Chief nodded at all the right places. Just then they spotted Aang running enthusiastically in their direction.

Bao let slip an "I thought he'd be... taller..." She flushed but was put at ease by the low chuckles from the people around her. She handed Aang the scroll and told him exactly what she had told Hakoda. The Air Bender was ecstatic; he finally had something important to do, so he ran off to pack his belongings.

The young woman thanked Hakoda one more time and was sent back as efficiently as she had been brought in. The Southern Raider's ship faded back beyond the horizon and things were falling back into their rhythm one more... That is, until Aang asked Bato: "Have you seen Momo?"

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Walking down the busy street, greeting acquaintances and introducing _Mizu_, Junko wondered about Katara. She exchanged worried glances with Deshi, who insisted in escorting them to the store and then to Junko's home.

Katara was young, beautiful, exotic; it was only natural that she attracted the eyes of the male population, but while any other girl around fifteen would be aware of that and enjoying the attention, Katara seemed bothered it.

"Did you bring money with you?" Deshi surprised both Junko and Katara with the question.

"Yes, yes, I did, but I don't know if I'll have enough. Are books usually expensive?" Katara replied, happy to start a conversation. She needed to focus her attention somewhere; pretending she didn't see all those people looking at her and telling herself that no one would recognize her was making her nervous.

"Usually, but the other day I saw box full of them in the shop. Those were blacklisted by Fire Lord Ozai and were supposed to have been burned, but the owner of the shop is a greedy packrat." He said it in a annoyed yet funny fashion that had both Katara and Junko grinning. "He never trashes or gives anything away, so when Fire Lord Zuko ended the blacklisting, the first thing he did was take all those book out of the storage. The only thing that he didn't think about were the silverfish-termites. He can't sell those books for full price now, but the damage isn't that bad. I bought this book and it was pretty readable."

"A book, hum? What was it about?" Junko asked teasingly, but the reaction wasn't the one she was waiting for and also surprised Katara.

With eyes full of wishful thinking Deshi tried not to make a big deal about it. "Just about some pirates."

"Blacklisting a book because it's about piracy? That's lame... Is that the shop?" Katara pointed to the big entrance a few paces ahead, crowded with things on display, from rugs to hair brushes and toys.

"That's the one. We'll wait for you here, ok? Take your time!" Junko smiled as Katara rushed inside, then turned to Deshi. "You didn't need to walk with us, you know."

"Let's see... It's after work, it's hot as always, the cool cheap mead is flowing already and you say," he crept closer to her, lowering his voice and raising one eyebrow, "two beautiful ladies don't need an escort? "

She blushed and mockingly pushed him back, smiling and looking at him with half closed eyes. "Stop it."

He mumbled something along the lines of "getting punished for speaking the truth" and Junko decided to turn the tables.

"So what about that book?" He took a deep breath and opened his mouth to say something, but hesitated a bit, so she cut him off before he could make up an excuse. "You had this look on your face, out with it."

"Nothing really, just me being silly." He was really uncomfortable for a moment, looking at the ground and not knowing what to do with his arms. "In chapter three the captain is shot in the heart with an arrow and they find this Water Tribe woman that uses her bending to completely heal him, right then and there, with just a bit of water and there wasn't even a scar left and I..." He gave a half scratch to his chest, "do you think it's really like that or it's just silly fiction?"

_I can't bend because I never learned how, but he can't bend because of his lungs. I wonder which is worse... What a pair we are... Maybe I could ask Katara to teach me and... tell him I've been lying to him since ever and risk losing the little happiness I've found with him_, she thought bitterly, but at least right now she could tell him a little safe truth: "I don't know."

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On a leash.

It went against most of the things he believed in, but Aang had to agree that, considering all the trouble Momo had caused, it was fair for Hakoda to ask that Momo was put on a leash. The lemur had wreaked havoc in the tanning house, helped himself to the dried fruit stores, and let penguins inside the smoke house.

Now he sat near the corridor that led to the bedrooms, with Momo on a leash, watching as Sokka diligently wrote down everything Hakoda and Gran-Gran said about the proper protocol to be observed. Jealousy wasn't something he felt often, but seeing Sokka with a purpose while his had flown away with his bison made the feeling flourish a little inside of his heart.

Ever since the end of the war he'd been feeling like that. Suddenly things were falling into place and he wasn't needed anymore. He never thought to ask his past lives what the Avatar did when things were just fine. So far, aside from attending and mediating important meetings, he had improvised by doing a whole bunch of nothing, but as strange as it was, he missed felling needed. He, who didn't want to be the Avatar, who just wanted to be a normal monk like all the other Air Benders, now was craving the bigger purpose routine.

Then he heard people talking about having a family and children... There! There was a fine purpose...

It wasn't like Katara to do what she did. No matter what Sokka said, Katara was the reliable one, she was supposed to be there, like she had been in the past. But she wasn't and somehow it was his fault but he didn't really know what he had done wrong.

All he knew was that he got the feeling neither Sokka, Gran-Gran and Hakoda had liked his engagement plan, but no one was saying anything. Were they afraid of him? Or was it because they thought he was too young to understand? Aang frowned.

Tomorrow morning he and Sokka would be going to the Fire Nation. It would be a good chance to talk guy to guy, like they used to do sometimes. Maybe then he could figure out what was going on.

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For some reason, instead of being angry, or annoyed, or mortified, Zuko was amused. It had been a matter of hours since he received Mai's missive, and three dignified ladies with three dignified daughters had found some very creative excuses to come stay in court.

Presently, he was seated with all of them, having dinner. The mothers had just finished telling him just how accomplished their daughters were. They could sing, and dance, had excellent taste, made beautiful flower arrangements, and they all were beautiful too. Perfect trophy wives.

This was the last thing he needed right now: dealing with women; but so far it had been a welcome distraction, since the girls were making a spectacle of themselves to try to grab his attention.

However, all of his life he had been surrounded by strong women and he was unaware of just how much that had shaped his preferences. All he knew was that all of those girls just didn't make the cut. They had tried to anticipate his tastes and obviously had read him wrong.

It soon became clear to the mothers that he wasn't really paying attention to their daughters. In desperation, one of the mothers decided to cut to the chase by declaring: "Fire Lord Zuko, if I may be so bold, it seems that you are taking your duties very seriously. You even brought them with you to the dining table, which I think is very commendable, of course."

Oh, just how much he wanted to scoff at that remark. "As commendable as that may be, you will just _have_ to forgive me,"_ because I'm the freaking Fire Lord. _"It's just that this matter of the Ocean Prisoners – I'm sure you are all well aware of it, of course – "_ of course not, _"is very...tricky. But well, so are all matters of international affairs."

His guests agreed with him, all choosing their words very carefully, so it would seem they had some idea of what he was talking about. Silence took over the room for a while and it made Zuko lose his appetite. "Hopefully," he said abruptly, "I'll be able to trust my future wife to take care of such matters." He smiled as he rose from his seat. "Ladies, I hope you enjoy the rest of your dinner and since I won't be seeing any of you for the rest of today," and everybody present knew an order when they heard one, "I also bid you all good night."

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"Azulon was..." Junko looked around her living room, struggling to find the right word. When none came, she decide to offer up an example instead. Taking a deep breath, she started the tale. "Two years after I was brought here, there was a shortage of meat, any kind of meat, really. He declared that everyone, even all the nobles, even the Royal Family, would only eat rice and vegetables."

"All meat available was used to make rations for the soldiers. He send inspectors without warning to the nobles' houses and if they were caught eating meat they were stripped of their titles, money and sent to serve in the army. The people were starving, barely able to buy rice, but they loved and supported him, since he _shared the hardships with them_." Both listeners scoffed. "He was one of those people that liking it or not, you could do nothing if not respect him."

The apartment building had four floors and Junko lived on the third one. The apartment was small with two rooms and amenities. For the life of her, Katara didn't know where Junko found green and blue fabric and paint, but she did, and for a moment it seemed like they weren't in the Fire Nation anymore.

"Do you know what happened to the other Benders?" Katara asked without a second thought.

"When I was brought here, it was just me, and I had no training. I was no real threat so I was put to work in the palace as a maid, and after a while attending to Lady Ursa, at her request, a few months before she gave birth to Little Zuko." Smiling fondly at the memories, Junko missed Katara's amused yet confused look.

"Little Zuko?" _Oh, this is precious. Just wait when I see his Fire-Lordness again!_

"I take it he doesn't have anything _little_ about him now, hmm?" Eyebrows rising in a teasing way, she saw Katara's face light up in a blush.

"I wouldn't know about that," barely made its way out of the girl's lips, and Junko had a good laugh.

"I helped his mother to bring him into this world. He almost didn't make it, you know... The midwife left the room to tell everyone he was dead and I was to clean him. When I lowered him into the basin and the water started glowing, I found out I could heal. I was just me and Lady Ursa left in the room, so she told me not to tell a soul and blamed the midwife for incompetency." Katara didn't have to ask why and Junko didn't have to explain. Whatever might have happened if Azulon found out wouldn't have been good. "I helped change his nappies when he was a baby. When he was three I was his nanny and right before his fourth birthday I was his first crush." Both of them giggled.

"First crush!"

"He gave me drawings every day, and flowers too, all those poor flowers. He was a sweet child. My Little Zuko." Those memories brought forth an aura of softness to Junko.

"Why aren't you working in the palace anymore then?"

All the softness vanished.

"The night she was banished, Lady Ursa gave me a bag full money, a gold comb with jewels and told me to disappear. I was her servant, so I would be questioned and arrested as an accomplice. I came here and started a life for myself. It was hard at first but then things started to fall into place. I still have the comb though. Could never make myself part with it." Katara just let Junko talk. The woman's eyes were slightly unfocused, as if she was looking somewhere beyond the horizon. "This romance you chose, Love Between Dragons, it was her favorite. They made an _adaptation_ for the theater."

"And by that you mean that they changed the story completely and stuffed it full of propaganda."

"Exactly. Lady Ursa spent a whole month vexed about it. Complaining to anyone who would listen...but enough of that, it's getting late. You should sleep here tonight. Tomorrow morning I have an appointment with the healer and I think you should come too, to make sure whatever you're taking now won't clash with the herbs they have here."

Katara gave her a blank stare. "Wow, you lost me there, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Your contraceptive dear. I'm sure Kana wouldn't..."

Katara interrupted her surrogate aunt, as realization dawned on her. "Before I left the South Pole for the first time, Gran-Gran gave me some money and this list of things, well, herbs, and told me how to prepare and take them, but she never told what they were for... I did as she said when we were in Kyoshi Island, but afterwards we started running out of food and..."

Junko nodded. "I see. Your mother must have been looking over you all this time, you know. Whenever you wanted it or not, all it takes is once, you know." She extended a finger in front of her, repeated "once," and paused for effect. "I think it's time you start taking better care of yourself and let your mother's spirit have its rest. The healer is a regular patron, I'm sure she can see you too even without an appointment. You are very lucky that all the boys you've met so far were honorable."

"I guess I am." The girl sighed, embarrassed by her oversight.

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"Listen Aang, you know I can't answer for Katara, right?" Letting out a frustrated exhalation, Sokka stretched a little from his position at Appa's reins. It was a beautiful dawn, the moon was still visible peeking from the horizon.

"I know that, and I'll ask her once she comes back. I want to know why you seem to be against me marrying her."

"I don't know how it was with the monks, but I'm not against you marrying her, I'm against you marring her so _soon_."

"But why?" Aang wailed. "I love her and she wouldn't be with me if she didn't love me, right?"

_Not exactly, no..._ Sokka knew Aang wouldn't understand, so he would have to use another approach. "Look, Katara and I, we have our parents as models. Dad knew Mom ever since she was born, they started dating when he was fourteen, married when he was twenty, _six_ year after they started dating." He paused for effect. "Then he waited until he was twenty seven to have me, _seven_ years after they married, _thirteen_ years after they started dating." Sokka paused again. "And they knew each other since _for__ever_!" He let Aang to absorb the math. "Now you tell me, how long have you known Katara?"

The young Air Nomad was starting to feel a little uncomfortable. He could see Sokka was starting to make a very solid point. "A year, I guess."

"Then you want to marry her after knowing her for two years, and what?" Sokka turned to face Aang. "Become a father at sixteen?" Seeing that his friend wouldn't answer anytime soon, he went on. "I'll be sixteen soon, Aang. Do I want to marry and have children? I can see myself a with a family, I like the idea, yes. Do I want those things now? _No way in the freaking Spirit World!_ There are a lot of things I still want to do and I won't be able to if I have that kind of responsibility on me."

"But you were carving a necklace for Suki," accused Aang.

"Those necklaces," Sokka dragged the words with so distaste, remembering Yue, "are northern tradition. I'm from the south. I'm carving a let's-see-how-far-we-can-go pendent for Suki. I know it seems that if I were to marry anyone right now, it would be her," Sokka's shoulders dropped and bitterness laced his voice, "but a year ago, for some blissful hours I was sure Yue and I would grow old together and you know how _that_ turned out."

Aang felt bad for inadvertently reminding his friend of painful things, but he still had an argument up his sleeve. "The war is over now."

"Yes it is, but people change. Feelings change too. Besides, you hadn't even asked her yet and the date for the marriage was set."

"I never said I wanted to marry her on her next birthday. I don't know where that came from."

"But you did nothing to stop it. You were just going with the flow. If you let the river just take you, then you can't complain if it throws you to your death from the top of a waterfall." A pressure somewhere in Aang's memories made him think about Avatar Kuruk, but he had no time to figure out why since Sokka was concluding his speech. "Besides, the way things were going it looked like her opinion didn't really mater."

"You mean you think she was going to say no," Aang bit out.

"I mean I think that she ran away because she didn't know how to answer you," Sokka corrected his young friend gently. "How would you feel if she panicked and said no in front of all those people? How would you feel if she said yes without really meaning it? If she broke up with you afterwards? If she went on with it pretending she was all right even if she wasn't? Would you rather she lied to you to make you happy?"

"No," the Avatar stated quietly. "But I also didn't want this."

"Well, this is what you got. You'll just have to live with it, just like everyone else. Oh, the joy of being human." Sokka added a bit of light sarcasm to try to lift the mood a little bit.

… _An all powerful spirit living on the top of some mountain... _A familiar voice from a forgotten dream echoed in Aang's consciousness.

"Whatever she was thinking, we know Katara only...usually does what she feels is the best. I'm sure she loves you very much." _In one way or another. _Sokka softly reassured Aang with a half-truth by omission.

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Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.

Author Notes: I've already said it, or at least implied it, a few chapters back, but since it came up on a review I'll make it very clear this time – if you are not willing to go through ten plus chapters of character growth to get your Zutara fix, then I'm sorry but this is the wrong fanfiction for you. For those of you who are willing – your patience will be rewarded, don't expect anything explicit since ff dot net doesn't have an NC17 anymore, but what you'll get will be worth it I promise.


	8. Yummy

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 8: Yummy**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

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"Can I have my dignity back now, please?" Katara said, annoyed.

The healer smirked a bit. "Yes you can. I know this is uncomfortable, but it's ne..."

"Necessary, yes, I know." The Waterbender cut the middle aged woman off, climbing down the table and putting her clothes back in place as fast as possible.

"Well, I have your height and weight." The healer went to a nearby table that had a scale on it and a cabinet full of little drawers by its side. "Everything is fine overall," she said as she pulled out a number of drawers and sat them on the table. "Everything is fine _down there,_ too." Then she started scooping the fine ground powders that were inside the different drawers, measuring quantities of each on the scale, mixed them, wrapped the final product on parchment, then the parcel was handed to Katara. "Don't forget to take them every day at the same time."

"May I ask a question?" Still annoyed, Katara roughly took the package.

"Please." The healer was not fazed. She was used to dealing with teenage girls who thought they knew better than everyone.

"Why do I have to take these if I don't plan to get pregnant until I'm at least twenty?" The question came out as a growl.

"Didn't your Aunt tell you?"

"No, she just dragged me here this morning."

The woman let out a sad sigh. "Well, during the war, we found out that this cactus plant from the Earth Kingdom's desert, despite making people see things, had powerful pain reducing properties, so the alchemists found a way to make it into a powder that could be stored for long periods of time, as they do with everything else." She indicated cabinet as she put the drawers back on their places.

"It was supposed to be used by healers only, but it became the drug of choice of some soldiers that suffered great trauma..." The healer rolled her eyes in annoyance, "and of some who didn't, too. The rich teens here found out they like the lack of pain and the visions. They also found out that the effect is twofold if they mix it with cherry wine." She pursed her lips in disapproval.

"Oh." Katara remembered when Sokka had innocently drank from the cactus. "I guess drunk people that are seeing stuff are bound to do stupid things."

"Dumb, horny, good for nothing teens with high up parents already do enough stupid things by themselves, they don't need extra help," was the woman's bitter answer.

"Aren't there... laws and, and punishments for these kinds of things?"

"Yes, Fire Lord Azulon passed a set of very strict laws for crimes against women, and Fire Lord Zuko updated them... But they're only as fair as they can get and still work in the real world, so take the medicine and don't stay out late unless you are with three or more friends. If you're at a party get your drinks yourself and brush up on your self defense. Any other questions?"

"Er... yes." The teen hesitated a bit, but the healer raised her eyebrows and nodded, encouraging her to ask whatever it was. "Where did you learn all this? Where did you learn to be a healer?"

"Well, you're almost fifteen, right? Then I advise you to talk with the counselors and sit through the vocation tests at the school. If you decide that healing really is your calling, you can start studying for the admittance test to the Royal Academy for Girls, which is where I studied," the old woman said with pride.

"It's the best education one can have inside the Fire Nation, it's financed by the government so you don't have to pay for it, but only the students with the best test grades are allowed to attend. There are, of course, other institutions with more, well, average standards," she mocked with disdain, "but they have admittance fees. You seem to be very intelligent and your Aunt is a very bright candle herself, I see no reason why you shouldn't aim for the best."

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For the second time in less than a week Appa was flying over the Fire Nation's Capital. This time, though, in broad daylight, attracting the attention and the imagination of the people on the streets. In no time Zuko had been alerted and a committee was ready to welcome the visitors.

Seeing the Fire Lord himself, Li and Lo behind him, six guards, three on each side, and five servants on the background, Sokka pulled a bit of parchment from under his sleeve and read once more the proper protocol to be followed.

As the visitor, he should be the one to greet first and in the Fire Nation fashion, then Zuko would respond to the greeting in the Water Tribe way and after all this nonsense they could start acting like normal people once again. Aang tried to get a hold of Momo to put the leash back on: better not take chances, there were plenty of people mad at him already.

As soon as Appa landed, three of the servants rushed forward, one to take the reins from Sokka and two others to unload the saddle.

"Fire Lord Zuko," Sokka said with a bow, which Aang copied, "we are honored to be welcomed into your beautiful and prosperous Nation."

"Prince Sokka from the South Water Tribe." They grasped each other's arms near the elbow, doing the Water Tribe's arm-shake. Zuko then turned to Aang and bowed, "Avatar Aang, it's a honor to have such notable guests. It'd be a pleasure if you both could join me for lunch." He finished by indicating the Palace's doorway.

"Actually, the Fire Sages asked for me, I just came here to drop Sokka off and say hi." Aang replied, eager to go to his next adventure.

"I insist Aang. Look at Appa, he seems tired. Have lunch, take a nap. Even if you leave mid afternoon, you'll still get there way before sunset. I'll have someone wake you up." The bison appeared to like the idea very much; he gave pleading groan, got closer, startling the servant holding his reins, and started to nuzzle Zuko who petted him back fondly and thanked the Spirits that Appa didn't lick him as well.

Aang let out a string of _all-rights_ and Sokka laughed a bit in nostalgia. The last two servants scurried back inside the Palace, one going straight to the kitchen, the other to instruct the staff to have two rooms ready.

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The three pairs of mothers-and-daughters from last night had become eight pairs during the morning, so Li and Lo had two guards make sure the chairs on the immediate left and right of the Fire Lord were left vacant. They needn't have bothered; after the news of who the guests for lunch were, the second closest-to-the-Fire-Lord chairs were also abandoned and a faint, high pitched torrent of whispers flooded the room.

"... Poor Fire Lord..."

"... Those ugly barbarians from the poles..."

"... Must be that Oceans thingies he was talking about last night."

"... Blood thirsty Airbenders would have bent the air out of your lungs! They had to be decimated..."

"... Probably don't even know what a fork is!"

"... I just hope they don't smell!"

"... And he expects me to deal with this kind of people..."

"No, he expects you to go away. But I promise, if he ever puts me through this ever again, he'll be sleeping on the couch for the rest of our marriage."

"As if he would marry someone like you, uglier than Earth Kingdom peasants..."

As soon as they heard the clink-clanks from the guards armors, a "believe me Aang, you'd be doing me a favor," in Zuko's voice, followed by happy laughs, coming from the corridor and through the opened doors, they ceased all bad-mouthing and stood up.

The Fire Lord entered first, followed by a tall, blue eyed, tan skinned teen with a sexy grin and a shorter, pale skinned, bald teen with mirth-filled eyes, blue tattoos and a not-leashed animal perched on his shoulder. The color of their clothing made them stand out even more.

"Avatar Aang, Prince Sokka, as you can see, these lovely ladies from Fire Nation's nobility will also be joining us for lunch." Zuko said congenially, inadvertently smoothing down ruffled feathers.

"You sure know how to make a guy feel welcome, Fire Lord! Food always taste better when in the company of beautiful women. Good morning ladies!" Sokka said in his most suave voice, bowing with a flourish to the noblewomen.

The so-called ladies got very uncomfortable. They were flattered and reluctantly agreed that the Southern _Tribal_ Prince was handsome and held himself well, but still, all the things they had learned about the other nations couldn't be wrong, could they? Of course not. But they were ladies and would act as such... While there were people watching.

Zuko mumbled while sitting down, just loud enough to be heard: "Spirits, you sound just like Uncle!" This earned a chuckle from Sokka and full-blown laughter from Aang. As soon as the Fire Lord sat down, the Prince and the Avatar seated themselves to Zuko's left and right, respectively, followed then by the noblewomen.

"Behave Sokka," Aang teased, using his bending to summon a kiwifruit from the a bowl. "You have a girlfriend already." He pealed the fruit and gave it to Momo, who started munching on it, while looking curiously at the flowers adorning some of the women's hair.

"Suki is the best and I love her, but I can still appreciate beauty from afar." Sokka extended his arms as if pushing something away. "Very far." He paused. "Seriously, those blades on her fans are really sharp." His good-natured joke got a few smiles. "Speaking about sharp blades, how's Mai?"

Some ladies sucked in sharp breaths, alerting Aang and Sokka that there was trouble in paradise.

"We broke up." Zuko replied as nonchalantly as he could. Li and Lo had been right: there were a lot of people coveting Mai's position and sooner or later those so called ladies would have started to play dirty to make her give up _her spot_. Now, with Mai gone, they were already all over him, like maggot-vultures over a komodo-rhino's carcass. He had set them straight right from the start: he wasn't an element and thus wouldn't be bent.

"Tough luck" and "I'm sorry" came Sokka and Aang, then they eyeballed the women at the table; no need to be a genius to figure out why they were there. Each gave Zuko a sympathetic half smile.

"So..." Sokka started, deciding to put off those rude women sharing their table, "since I'm guessing women are the last thing on your mind right now," he said loud and clear, for all to hear and earning himself a lot glares, "let's not talk about them. Let's talk about food. I never got around to trying the extra spicy fire-flakes last time I was here..."

From that point onwards, it seemed like lunch would be a calm affair. Sokka's comment was attributed to his being _a barbarian after all, even if he was handsome, and well spoken for the most part... And not only knew what a fork was but also knew the difference between the salad fork and the regular fork!_

During desert, when all thought they were saved from more drama...

"WAH! THIS, THIS THING IS TRYING TO EAT MY HEAD!" One of the ladies squealed before fainting. Momo was staring back at everyone, wide eyed and high eared, still chewing on the flower he bit off the woman's hair. Seeing that he was in trouble, he stole another tasty flower before making himself scarce.

_I have the most awesome friends in the whole world!_ Zuko smiled inwards, between calls for the Royal Healer, apologies from the Avatar and panicked tears from the more susceptible ladies.

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Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.


	9. Blood Thirsty

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 9: Blood Thirsty**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

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"THERE IS NOT A DAY IN MY LIFE I DON'T REGRET HURTING YOUR MOTHER THE WAY I DID!"

The whole city shook when Bumi shouted, and Toph, outside his office, sitting against the wall by the door holding her knees, knew that the mountain the city was built over had three less inches of height now, thanks to underground cave-ins.

She heard her father mumble something, though she could not make out what with her senses tingling the way they were. The important people at lunch yesterday had been her parents and things had gone downhill from there.

"THAT GIVES YOU NO RIGHT TO TAKE TOPH AWAY! SHE'S MY GRANDDAUGHTER! SHE WILL SUCEED ME AS OMASHU'S QUEEN!"

Another two inches gone. If her father didn't shut up soon, the city would be at sea level in no time. However, it was her mother's turn to muck up, and muck up bad: this time the trembling began before the shouting did.

"SHE MAY NOT HAVE HER SIGHT, BUT THE ONLY BLIND PEOPLE HERE ARE YOU TWO! GET OUT OF HERE BEFORE I HAVE YOU ARRESTED!"

Her parents stumbled out in a hurry and Bumi bent the office's door away. During the moment they took to find their bearings again, they noticed Toph sitting there. "Oh, Toph!" her mother said, approaching her.

"Not another step!" the girl growled.

Her mother stopped for a moment even though the threat was empty. _You silly woman, she won't know you got closer! _She had barely lifted her foot when, with a sharp, circular movement of Toph's hands, sections of the floor and wall rotated, putting the girl inside the office and nothing but smooth wall and vacant floor on the corridor outside.

The Bumi before her wasn't unlike many other old, tired, bitter men. He stood hunched and short of breath in the middle of the room.

"So... What's the deal with my _Grandmah_?" she asked, sharp and to the point as always.

"Chun was beautiful, tall, with long black hair, the greenest eyes in the entire Earth Kingdom... I'll never forget the day we married..." Bumi gave a humorless laugh. "I was a wreck, could never understand how someone like her would ever look twice at someone like me..." He breathed in slowly. "And she... She said she'd love me no matter what." He bent a high-back armchair behind him and let himself half-fall to the seat. "She taught me the most important lesson of my life."

"Really!" Toph raised her eyebrows. The woman had taught a most important lesson to one of the three wisest men of the world. _She must have been awesome._ "What?" She asked eagerly.

"_No matter what_ has a limit," he said, dry and grim.

"Oh." _Ouch! _Toph physically flinched as if stung by a thorn.

"By the time I realized how much I hurt her... it was too late! All I could do was see that she and your dad, he was four back then, would be well off. I bought the Gaoling State off one of the Earth King's Generals and gave it to her. She remarried when your dad was seven... To an accountant, raised by two spinster aunts, boring as watching water boil. That's how your father turned out the way he is." Bumi rubbed the top of his thigh with one hand and massaged wide circles on his temple with the other.

_Yeah, that actually explains a lot._ She shifted her weight from one foot to another then back, still curious. "So, you kept tabs..." Toph stated quietly, almost as a question.

"That I did." He nodded. "But the first time I saw her again after she left was on your naming ceremony. She chose your name, you know... She was still beautiful, I fell in love with her all over again." Bumi's soft, far away tone unsettled Toph a bit. "That accountant didn't deserve her!" His closed fist banged the armrest and Toph almost got whiplash from the sudden change of emotions. "Then again... Neither did I." Bumi's sad and resigned tone tugged at Tophs heartstrings like only Baby's tale ever had before.

In a very Katara-like reaction, she got up, went to him and put her one of hands over one of his. "Being young is no excuse for being stupid, remember that." He caressed her cheek with his free hand, got up and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry no one told you before. I should have made that maggot I call a son move back as soon as Chun died."

"That's ok. My Grandah rocks! He rocks a whole mountain with a city on the top!" Toph said with a lopsided smile, making Bumi laugh hard, snorting in between, and just like that, he was himself again.

Toph, on the other hand, was quieter than usual the rest of the day. The maids kept telling her that soon she would need breast bindings, that having to use an almost-diaper once a month meant that she was almost a woman, soon boys would start making fools of themselves for her, _as if they ever needed a reason in the first place_.

After the war things had seemed so... Final. But they were all so young! They had so much life ahead of them! What if... _Oh dammit! I'm turning into Sugar Queen here! It's all my parents fault, they just had to show up and ruin everything!_

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Zuko and Sokka said their goodbyes and watched Aang fly toward the horizon. They stood on the patio for a while, then Zuko sharply tipped his head and both made their way silently to his office.

The Fire Lord ushered Sokka in, closed the door and dropped the sound proofing curtain.

"So, was Katara all right when she got here?" Sokka asked, dodging the imposing, larger than life set of desk and high-back chair dominating the middle of the room and making his way to the back of the office, to a couple of stuffed upholstered armchairs, with a small round table between them, facing the fireplace and an animal hide hug. Zuko was about to lie but was cut off. "I know where she is and I know she was here. She's my sister, I know she wouldn't go to Ember Island without asking you first. Don't worry," he lifted both hands, "I'm not here to drag her back," Sokka finished as he made himself comfortable.

"How did you find out?" Zuko slumped on a chair beside Sokka's.

"I found mango leaves on Appa's fur and people really are not that different from animals, you know. They won't go somewhere if they know the food there sucks and Katara was complaining a lot about not having fresh fruits anymore, no wonder she went for her favorite." Sokka nodded to himself. He had one arm across his chest and the other arm propped on the first, holding his chin between his thumb and bent index finger: his favorite detective pose.

_Ah, yes, Katara lo-oh-ves her mangoes. Maybe I should pass a law forbidding her to eat them in public._ Trying not to blush at the mental picture, Zuko pulled at the collar of his robes to loosen them up. The Fire Lord was lucky Sokka dismissed that as him getting a bit more comfortable and not as him having to cool off thanks to lewd thoughts about Katara. Zuko was also lucky Sokka never connected Katara's fruity snacks with his sudden urges to do push-ups and take quick dips in the ocean.

"Sorry I was about to lie, but she said she was hiding from you too." Sokka just grunted in reply.

"Care to tell me what happened?"

"Well, Aang had this brilliant idea..."

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True to what Zuko promised, Aang had been woken mid-afternoon. Appa had been waiting for him, brushed, saddled, looking pampered and rested, Momo joined them just as they were taking flight. Now they flew at a leisurely pace to the Crescent Island's Temple, and Aang did his best to not think (much) about Katara. Easier said than done.

This time, his welcome at the Avatar's Temple was much warmer, if somewhat rushed.

"I'm sorry if I'm coming across as rude, Avatar Aang, but we had no idea this spirit would get so angry so fast. It seems the harder we pray, the worse it gets!" the Head Fire Sage said as soon as greetings were exchanged.

"It's ok, I understand." Aang reassured Shyu. "I just hope no one got hurt."

"No life threatening injuries, yet, but I won't lie to you, I'm very afraid. Please, come this way." Shyu guided Aang to the spiraling staircases, with two Sages flanking them.

"How did this spirit come to be here?" Aang asked, trying to get a clue as to how to deal with the situation.

"It seems to be linked to its ashes. They belonged to a prisoner, there were rumors she was a witch of some sort. Somehow she overpowered her guards, stole a sword, killed them and then killed herself, about two months ago. As is usual for violent deaths, we were called to bless the bodies during cremation. It was a disaster. The sage performing the blessing started to bleed from his nose, anyone that tried to get close to altar tripped and fell, scratching their knees and hands."

"If it was that bad, why did you wait two months to call me?" Shyu stopped climbing turned to look at Aang.

"Because it's not unusual for angry spirits to act up like that, but doesn't last past cremation." They resumed and reached the first floor but kept walking to the second floor's staircase. "This one was quiet for a while, then it started to gradually escalate into bloodier incidents. We decided to bring the ashes here, and put them on the fourth floor, inside the Statue Chamber. Avatar Roku anchored that room to the Spirit World, so we were hoping it would be easier for our prayers to reach this spirit, and calm it down... Now we don't dare go past this floor," the Head Fire Sage said, walking ahead of Aang to the center of the second floor's lobby and then turning to face him again. "I advise you against trying to light the torches or do any Fire Bending. It seems to hate fire."

His throat was dry but Aang swallowed somehow. "Good to know." Breathing in through his nose, holding it for a second and exhaling through the mouth, he gathered his wits and guts before taking the stairs up. This was way creepier than he liked.

Thanks to the spiraling staircases, he didn't have to linger on the third floor, not that it did much good. All the torches were out, and even if some light got in from the windows, it was not enough to dispel the heavy shadows on the corners. A thin, moist mist filled the air, making things look gray and hazy. Goosebumps rushed up and then down Aang's arms and spine, but he went on upwards.

The mist got heavier as he ascended to the last floor. There, he could barely see two palms before his nose, and what he could see looked sad and lifeless... but the silence was the worst, it was deafening and made him afraid of breathing too loud.

White cords hanging on waist-level posts, with soggy white ribbons tied to their lengths were positioned as if trying to set up a limit, then another around the first and another around the two others. Paper charms soaked with water, their words unreadable smudges, littered the floor and walls, the smell of burned herbs and incense remained strong thanks to the humidity. A rosemary branch from a failed exorcism attempt lay in the middle of the length between the beginning of the staircase and the closest cord limit. The sages had tried their best, to no avail.

Deciding to stop wasting time, he sat down close to the stairs, just in case, crossed his legs and opened his perception to the universe. When he opened his eyes again, he was knee deep in water, in the middle of nowhere.

_Not good._

As he gauged the place, behind him a figure rose from the water. The sound of splashes caught his attention and when he turned, he saw a young woman with blue eyes, water tribe clothing and a bone comb styling her hair. He knew that comb. His breathing got trapped inside his chest and his eyes grew impossibly wide. He knew who she was.

"Hama." Whispered Aang.

"You remember me, I'm flattered." She smiled maliciously. "I heard them talking about calling you. You sure took your time." Soundlessly, she started to circle him and Aang started to turn around in place, not wanting to show her his back.

Since she made no other motions towards attacking, he took it as a sight that maybe she was open to dialog. "I'm sorry, I came as soon as I could. Ugh..." He fidgeted, not knowing what else to say to break the ice, - _so, you are dead now, hum_ - didn't seem appropriate.

"Cat-owl got your tong?" she asked with a lopsided grin on her face. "No matter. Tell me, how is Katara these days?" He tensed and her grin turned feral. "For someone so averse to Blood Bending she sure uses it a lot."

"You're lying." His tone turned grim. "She promised to never Blood Bend again."

"Oh, really!" She stopped circling and started chuckling, then made show of struggling to keep it quiet but failed. Her chuckles turned into giggles that became laughs that evolved into full blown mad-woman cackling.

His hands turned into fists and he said defiantly: "Really!"

She stopped abruptly and looked him straight in the eyes. "You fool," Hama mocked.

Barely dodging when she lunged at him, Aang cursed himself for letting her get a rise out of him. Looking around, he saw nothing. She was nowhere to be found, melted into the water. Remembering the times he played in rivers with Sokka and Katara, he knew exactly what she was going to do: she would go for his feet.

He tried to move as fast as possible, but it was impossible. She pulled his foot, making him fall.

Somehow, he was in deep water now, trying to swim away from a half fish/ half human creature. He needed to get back to his body... And fast!

With a powerful stroke from her tail-fin, Hama almost got him, but he rolled to the side just in time, coming out with just a ripped sleeve. She turned to him and now they were face to face. Once more, she sprang toward him, head-butting his chest...

… And he was back in his body, falling back on the floor. Getting up was a chore. She was Blood Bending him, not powerful enough, yet, to take control of him, but enough to weigh him down.

He finally got up, only to see a scythe of ice aiming for his head. Once again he avoided her, this time only barely. The Avatar lost his balance and fell down the first set of stairs. Getting his bearings back as quickly as possible, he stumbled down the second staircase, back to the second floor.

The sages surrounded the battered Avatar, pressing a folded handkerchief to his split left eyebrow, taking the outer layers of his soaked clothes and enveloping him in warm towels. Aang tried to take a deep breath but choked and coughed up blood.

All he could do in face of the expectant stares was give a negative shake of his head and bow his head in disappointment at himself. He took small, steady breaths until he was able to talk again.

"That's Hama, the Blood Bender. She is... was from the Water Tribe, brought here by the Southern Riders and thrown in prison. She escaped, though, took her rage out on people from a town a little up north, got arrested for it... And, from what you told me, killed herself." He reported the little information he knew.

"That explains a lot! Had we known, we would have performed Water Tribe burial rites." One of the sages said and murmurs of agreement were heard from the others.

"She won't talk, and I can't bend inside the Spirit World." Aang's shoulders dropped in helplessness.

"May I suggest you seek help from another spirit, then?" Shyu laid a hand on Aang's shoulder and looked at him kindly. Seeing hope once again in the Air Bender's eyes, he offered a small smile and ordered dry clothes to be brought for the Avatar.

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Author note: About last chapter's fork thingie... Ops! My bad. But I'm leaving it as it is. Truth is, I don't really remember seeing them using much eating utensils in the series and when we saw food it was finger food / soup.

I'm glad for the reviews, thanks for the encouragement. I'm putting some effort into writing this and it's always good to be acknowledged.

Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.


	10. The Little Brother

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 10: The Little Brother**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

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"I'm surprised she didn't bend his guts out." Zuko grunted, sipping from a glass of Rose Wine, the only drink in the whole nation that wasn't red.

"Me too, you know... I was just waiting for a full-power Katara-Blast, but I'm glad it didn't come..." Sokka paused pensively, holding his glass with both hands. "Kinda...it would've been interesting." He finished with humor and put his glass down."This stuff's really good, even if it's a pink girly drink."

"It's the only one the servants are allowed to buy." The Fire Lord didn't trust himself around more potent drinks, he knew his own temper and knew what drunk men with a temper like his were prone to do.

"How much of it would someone have to drink to get hammered?"asked Sokka, eyeing the bottle on a stand by the fireplace.

"More than two bottles." Zuko answered decisively.

"You know that from personal experience." Sokka's voice was accusing but friendly.

"Yeah." Zuko knocked back the rest of his glass. "While I was exiled. When Uncle found me the buzz was starting to get good. The stronger stuff was locked up." He put his glass in the table along with Sokka's and sat up a little straighter. "You didn't come here to try to get drunk on Rose Wine, though."

"Oh, believe me, I wish!" The Prince took a letter from the inner folds of his tunic and gave it to Zuko, who recognized it at once. The Fire Lord let himself slump back against the chair with a sigh.

"You don't know how glad I am to be dealing with you about this. Your father is very level headed and all but..."

"I understand." Sokka waved him off. "I've been avoiding deal with him, too. So what exactly was your deal with Dad?"

"Unlike the Earth Kingdom, your father didn't want monetary reparations," Zuko explained. "He called it blood stained money and said he'd rather have the Water Benders back. So we agreed that those funds would be used to find out what happened to them, where they are and then take them back home if they want to. I'm to contact him once I have a list with names and locations."

The Water Prince nodded. That sounded like his father. Not that a little extra money would do any harm, but when push came to shove, they never really needed it.

"Starting from the beginning!" Zuko announced and cleaned his throat. "When Fire Lord Azulon first started the raids, the benders were put in this _bender-proof_ prison. One of them, a woman, escaped but for some reason left the others behind. When questioned they said that they thought she had made a bargain with an evil spirit, traded her sanity for power. They were more afraid of her than of the prison. I hid them away for safekeeping, right over…"

He was going to point where he hid the documents, but realized he didn't remember where he put them and ended up pointing in a lot of different directions as his voice trailed off.

"Around here somewhere. I'll get them later if you want to see for yourself. That prison siphoned too much money, and, obviously, wasn't really bender-proof, so Azulon commissioned a group to find a way to block bending permanently, closed the prison, and when their bending was blocked, he sold the benders to some nobles to get some of the money back."

"Didn't miss a beat did he..." Sokka pursed his lips. "But block bending? How?"

"Just like Ty Lee does, but by implanting small metal spheres under the skin to for permanent pressure on chi flow points. Even without bending they still got away the first chance they had." Zuko wanted to rip his crown and top knot off and mess his hair so he would have something to do with his hands, but he didn't.

"And were recaptured?" said Sokka, very neutrally.

The Fire Lord took a deep noisy breath before answering. "This part is mostly gossip: Fire Lord Azulon was going to put a hunting team together but Grandmother Ilah talked him out of it, convincing him that now there was a chance that the next Avatar would be born inside the Fire Nation and instead, the money he would have spent on that went to the creation of the Royal Academy for Girls."

"That one is kinda hard to buy." The Water Prince rose an eyebrow.

"I know, I said it was gossip... but Grandmother wasn't about to give up on the new branch of the Royal Academy, it was her pet project." Zuko started to play with the hem of his sleeves. "After that they only took the occasional bender that also had their bending blocked, were sold off, ran away... except the last one: Junko. She was only eleven when she was brought here, all the others had been at least fifteen. The public outcry was really bad."

He spoke without looking at Sokka, ashamed of what his family had done to the people of his friend's tribe.

"No one really knew what to do with her. The worse she could do was explode a bit of water when she was very stressed, so Grandmother decided to put her to work in the palace's kitchen. Peeling potatoes is probably the lightest work-load around here. For some reason, years later Mother requested that Junko become her personal servant. She disappeared along with Mother and she may still be with her, she's the only one I couldn't locate."

"Why did Azulon change orders from capture to kill?" Sokka asked, forcing himself to remain calm and cool.

Zuko closed his eyes, scrunching his eyebrows together and taking a deep breath before looking away from Sokka and answering. "He didn't. Fire Lord Azulon built his rule over pleasing the larger crowd. After the fiasco over kidnapping a kid, he gave orders for the Southern Raiders to stop the raids and just hunt for pirates."

"So, no orders to kill the benders?" Sokka stated, his fists tightening as he lost his cool, while Zuko just nodded, looking sober. It didn't take long for Sokka to breath in deep himself and go back to his level headed attitude, but the question still hung in the air: _why?_

"The raiders were corrupt to the core... Still are... Actually, very few institutions aren't nowadays. They couldn't show up here with a bender under their arms anymore but wanted keep stealing pearls and whale bone. Those fetch high prices in the black market. It's always been one of the fastest ways of getting rich," Zuko said in a quiet tone.

Sokka kept quiet for a while longer, looking at the flames. "You said you had a list. Names and locations."

"Yes." Zuko straightened himself up a bit on his seat, trying to re-capture the light mood from before. "They blended in, became fishermen and the like. One is a novelist; he wrote one of my mother's favorite books though most of his work was blacklisted by my father. Of the other benders, almost half of them died, the older ones... a Hama woman was arrested and afterwards killed herself in prison a week or so before the comet... the others are still alive and have family here, and when I say here, I mean the colonies."

"Did you get in contact with any of them?" Sokka also picked up his act, eager to dispel the gloom that had settled.

"No, I didn't think they would react well to being summoned here by me." Zuko made a face that was a mix of annoyance, frustration and sympathy.

"Aw, Spirits!" Sokka pouted, surprising Zuko. "I was thinking you would just dump a bunch of bones on my lap, I would take them back then we'd sink them, spend the whole night chanting and drinking Ice Liquor, have hangovers and go on with our lives. Not that I'm not glad some are well and all that... But there's still a lot to be done there and Suki was going to visit soon and I haven't seen her in a month and a half..."

Zuko nodded in understanding. Both of the times he came back under the false impression that things, while not exactly easy, wouldn't be too hard... But they were, and here he was now, an overworked teenage Fire Lord unable to delegate chores since the only people he knew he could trust were the Team Aang, stressed, with almost too little support among the nobles and having to cater to a little hoard of brainless half-fan-girls-half-gold-diggers.

"Stay a while, write to your father if you want, just be careful with the wording... Or ask Li and Lo, those two have some pretty good advice."

"I will, I will..." Sokka paused to digest the conversation. They stayed there in _now_ comfortable silence for a few moments, until something clicked in the Tribal Prince's head. "You said pearls are fetching high prices around here?"

"Yes, they've become pretty rare, since your tribe corners the market on them."

"Wanna open a new trade line?" Sokka asked with an eyebrow raised and almost half joking, since this wasn't what he went there for. Seeing an interested glint in Zuko's eye, he made a proposition. "Say, oil lanterns with glass panels, those with pretty colorful mosaics, salted hippo cow meat and... koala sheep wool. For our pearls."

"Throw in tiger seal blubber and we can open official negotiations." Zuko didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Done!" The Prince offered his hand and the Fire Lord shook it enthusiastically.

"I'll go write Dad. Can I use your desk?" Sokka, asked pointing with his thumb to the overly large piece of black wooden furniture.

"Sure."

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Mai glared as the chariot took them home from the air-ship dock, after a few hours traveling back to the main island. Their State was in a smaller city next to the Capital, a three hours ride on a bumpy stone-paved road.

She had taken sick pleasure in telling her mother that she wrote to Zuko ending things officially. Her mother had looked back at her, bug-eyed, pale and the vein on her forehead looking like it would burst, but she didn't get the scolding she thought she would. Instead, her mother left her in her room and completed the spa package that was already paid for, not caring one bit for what Mai did or didn't do.

The chariot stopped before the small palace and Tom-Tom came running from the door, shouting his sister's name, the sound of the _i_ wavering every time one of his feet hit the floor. He jumped, hugged her waist and put his legs around her knees. Mai embraced him back, losing the glare at such a warm welcome. He had grown a lot, gotten heavier too, and just now she realized she had actually missed him.

"Dinner will be in an hour and a half," their mother announced to her children and the servants unloading their luggage from the chariot, before paying the driver and going inside, giving Mai the cold shoulder.

_She'll probably go nag Father into talking some sense into me. _Mai chose to ignore her mother and focus on her little brother. "Want to hear a story about Ba Sing Se?"

The boy nodded enthusiastically, his eyes full of adoration and Mai felt that it wasn't a total disaster after all.

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"This is to be sent to the Southern Water Tribe." The palace servant gave a sealed scroll to the Head of the Post Office, who looked like he was about to go to sleep in his long reddish gray caftan, then handed him a velvet bag with a few silver coins for payment.

"I'll dispatch our fastest Owl-Hawk," said the Head as they bowed to each other. When the servant was gone, he let his lips curl in distaste. _Water Tribe._

He got a cup of water from the kitchens then went to his office and closed the door, walked to his desk, pulled a drawer open and took a long, thin metal plate, a few powders, and red wax, in the same color and shade the Fire Lord used.

The last two missives he had handled were interesting to say the least. A very generic letter from Zuko to the southern _Chief_ that Lord Ozai found intriguing and a note from Mai to Zuko breaking off their relationship that got him more than a few gold coins from the nobles whose pockets he was familiar with.

He put his nose inside the parchment straw and tried to pick up scents like those of lemon. No such luck, but not a bad thing. Inserted the metal plate between the folds and adjusted them so they were under the wax seal, then started to heat the plate with Fire Bending. When the wax became malleable enough, he carefully pried it from the letter so the seal design would remain intact, unrolled the parchment and read it:

Hey there Dad! It's Sokka here.

Zuko let me use his seal to send this fast. I'm ok, he is ok too, we spent the whole afternoon talking about our friends from the war, you know. He said one of them even became a novelist, how awesome is that? I think I'd like to visit them, but I don't know if I should.

We also talked about Katara and he asked what her necklace was made of, and what tiger seal blubber looked like, and some other Water Tribe stuff.

I took a nap after lunch and my pillow was stuffed with koala sheep wool – it was the fluffiest thing ever! I think Gran Gran would like it so I'll see if I can buy one tomorrow, and I saw this pretty lantern with pretty colored glass panels in Zuko's office, I think I'll buy one too and I didn't think I'd miss salted hippo cow meat so much!

Anyways, I'm here and I'm fine. Take care!

The Post Office Head raised an eyebrow. This letter couldn't be serious, there had to be something hidden there. Holding the letter against the light of a candle he saw no water marks or reactions to the heat.

He put on a Komodo leather glove that only covered the index and middle fingers, dipped the gloved fingers in the water and let it drip over one powders, then mixed it and rubbed the paste gently on some parts of the parchment. Seeing no reaction, he wiped the glove in a clean bit of cotton cloth and tried, one by one, the other powders.

Nothing. No invisible ink was used.

Gritting his teeth at the lost time, he copied the letter, imitating the handwriting, onto clean parchment, used a bit of wax to glue the seal, fetched a case and made his way to the back of the Post Office, where the hacks were kept.

He didn't even bother to keep a copy for himself. Clearly, the Southern Prince was just as much as of a buffoon as that play in Ember Island had implied.

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Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.


	11. Ssspirituality

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 11: Ssspirituality**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

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He was back in the Spirit World, his body left under the watchful eyes of Shyu and three other Sages, at the ground floor's patio. The Fire Sages lent him a set of dry robes, gave him a cup of hot tea and put a foul smelling goo on the cut in his eyebrow, but he still felt shaken.

"Hello there. I wondered when we would meet," greeted a huge hooded coral snake. "I'm Hebi Hai."

"Hello there, I'm Aang." The Avatar smiled and lifted an open right hand in greeting, then paused to take in the scenery and the spirit. They were on the hillside of a volcano, in the middle of a sea of Fire Lilies, on an island, he guessed, eying the water marking the horizon limit.

"I know," said Hebi Hai, nonplussed. When the Avatar continued to look at him as if he had grown an extra head, or seven, he flicked his tongue and asked, dragging the sound of the _s_: "What iss the matter?"

"I'm, sorry. It's just..." Aang looked around scratching the back of his head. "It's just that I was expecting to see Enma."

"Ssorry to dissapoint, but Enma doessn't show hiss ugly ssnout here. He and Roku had a falling out." The snake blinked slowly, his expression never changing. "If your bussiness iss with him, climb up and jump insside the volcano'ss chimney. That should take you to him." His tail tip lazily rose from between the flowers and pointed up hill.

"It doesn't _have _to be him, uh, I guess." Hebi Hai just stared back at him, making Aang feel a little bit stupid. "There is this spirit that belongs to someone who had a huge grudge against the Fire Nation, it's hurting people and doesn't feel like talking to me, so Shyu, the Head Fire Sage, he suggested that I ask other spirits for help."

That got a reaction from the snake, his hood widened and rose, as though it had raised eyebrows in surprise. "Koh? Having trouble to dissposse of an unruly ssoul? That'ss rare."

"Koh? Face Stealer Koh? What's he got to do with anything?"

Hebi Hai's hood rose even more, looking wing-like. "For an Air Bender you know ssurprissingly little about the Sspirt World... And sspirituality itsself, I'm guessing."

Hearing the venomous, disapproving critique made Aang self-conscious. "I'm sorry... Please tell me: what does Koh have to do with it?"

"He iss the one that wresstless these sspirits into ssubmition, or desstruction, whatever the case might be." His hood went back to normal and he used a lecturing tone.

"Koh?" Now it was Aang's turn to be surprised. "Evil, Face Stealer Koh?"

The snake like spirit flicked his tong in annoyance. "Koh doess the clean up, he keeps one fasset of what you call _balance_ intact. He iss no more evil than you or me."

Aang was baffled. "But what about the face stealing?"

"He hass a hobby, sso what? A sspirit musst sshed it'ss face and form ssooner or latter, sso it can be born again if it hass to. In the end it'ss all the ssame."

Aang felt like face-palming, the way Sokka used to, and decided to drop the subject. It was a spirit he was talking to, Hebi Hai wouldn't understand his point of view. "I didn't see Koh anywhere when I was there. Wherever _there_ is."

The snake's hood was up again. "Thiss iss mosst troubling. Come." He commanded and started to slither towards the volcano. "Koh iss not one to neglect hiss dutiess. He takess hiss dutiess _very_ sserioussly. If he wassn't there already, ssomething iss keeping him."

"Oh." Aang grunted and caught up to Hebi Hai, so they progressed side by side. "So, how do we get there? Is it far?"

"We climb up and jump insside the volcano'ss chimeny."

"Will the volcano take me anywhere I want to go in the Spirit World?"

"Yess. Unless you prefer sswimming."

They walked in companionable silence. The top of the volcano sometimes seemed far away, sometimes close. The flowers moved in a hypnotizing pattern, as though there was a breeze that Aang couldn't feel. He couldn't tell how long they walked, but eventually they got to the top of the volcano.

"Remember: don't show emotion." Hebi Hai warned, and they jumped in.

When his vision cleared again, Aang saw the tree that served as a gateway for Koh's lair, but it was in shambles and he had to fight to keep his face neutral.

"That ssurely qualifiess ahss ssomething." Hebi Hai said in his dry monotone voice. His tong flicked as they advanced to the tree's entrance. He stopped suddenly, making Aang turn to look at him.

"Duck."

Aang barely had time to squat before a chunk of earth flew over his head. Just as he stood up again, Koh was winding himself around the young Avatar, using his most congenial tone and the female Noh-mask face.

"Avatar Aang, it's a pleasure to see you again. Finally came to fix your mess?"

Before Aang could even ask what Koh meant, a voice half-barked from the direction the earth chunk had come from. "Get away from him Koh! This is between you and me!"

"Avatar Kuruk! What are you doing here?" Seeing that Kuruk's face was the vision of anger, Aang asked himself why Koh hadn't stolen it yet. _Was Avatar Kuruk that powerful?_

Hebi Hai just scoffed and cut in before Kuruk answered. "He iss no more Avatar Kuruk than I am a ssnake."

Aang didn't have to even make a noise to show he was confused. "Still clueless, I see." Koh chuckled humorlessly, posing the main part of his body behind Aang using him as a shield, putting two of his legs at each of Aang's shoulders and speaking by the side of Aang's ear but still loud enough to be heard by all present. "Avatar Kuruk is dead. You aren't Avatar Kuruk, just as you aren't Avatar Roku and just as Hebi Hai isn't a snake or me a centipede. _That_" Koh bit, pointing to the Avatar like figure "is just a chunk of leftover energy you left behind while you were dreaming after you almost got yourself killed."

"Come here and I'll show you who's leftover energy, you disgusting insect!" Kuruk shouted but was ignored.

"And Koh and I, we are sspiritss, whatever form we take iss... Immaterial." Hebi Hai finished the explanation, deadpanned despite the pun.

"And _you_ are one _lucky_ Avatar. If that scrap of existence hadn't kept me busy, your precious Katara would have joined Ummi in my collection!" Aang went as stiff as a board and Koh knew he had got to him. "You see... I despise lazy Avatars." The spirit growled. "So let us make a deal. You get rid of that bit of energy and I'll overlook your little vacation. I may even listen as to why you came here."

"But I can't bend inside the spirit world." As much as Aang tried to keep his emotions from his face, the rest of his body betrayed them. He was sweating and trembling, afraid, disgusted, confused... But as long as his face remained expressionless, he was safe.

"Sspiritss are made of, in a manner of sspeaking, many thingss, but mosstly they are made of energy and sso iss your sspiritual manifesstation here. Energy Bending iss the only form of bending that iss possible here. It iss, after all, what _we_ do."

"As you would have known had you gone back to your temples and studied the legacy of your people. It might be too late now. The knowledge foxes probably already scavenged all the scrolls they could," Koh taunted.

_Come one me, now is not the time!_ The young bender told himself._ We need Koh's help! You knew he was nasty, stop letting him affect you._ Aang started to take deep breaths and Koh unwound himself from around the Avatar. Having to take a meditative state inside the spirit world was weird, and much harder. His perception was already opened, so he had to focus without letting it close. Again, he was unable to tell how long it took, but at some point his markings started to glow, then the rest of his body.

Shifting the energies, he lifted his body as though he was Air Bending, landed beside Avatar Kuruk's form and touched it. The rush, it almost felt like when Ozai had tried to overpower him, but his time it was good, pleasurable even, making him gasp. It was like a part of himself was returning home. Then the rush calmed gradually, until it felt like a feather light caress and it was over. The glow dimmed until it was just on the markings then ceased altogether leaving Aang numb.

Koh and Hebi Hai watched it all as though it was a commonplace thing, which, inside the spirit world, it was.

"Well, now that _that's_ taken care of..." Koh said, getting ready to take off. "I'll take my leave!"

"Wait!" Shouted Aang, making his way back to where the spirits were. "You said..."

"I said that I may, not will. Now, if you are going to tell me how to do my work, I just might be tempted to let that Water Witch spirit run amok."

"You might... But you won't." Aang said firmly, turning Koh's words around.

The Face Stealer put on his demon face to glare at Aang and they held the staring contest for a while. The Avatar was so intent in not being the first one to look away that he missed Koh lashing his tail at him. He fell face first into the ground, out of breath from the hit.

"No one likes insolent little twerps." Koh growled and vanished from sight.

Aang got up and dusted himself off. "I guess I should go back now..." He looked expectantly at the snake.

Hebi Hai consented to the unasked question. He dislocated his jaw and sprang up, then rained down, swallowing Aang whole in one go.

Waking up with a gasp, Aang looked around. Momo was napping on his lap, there was a red tent built around him, his hair and that ridiculous peach-fuzz on his upper lip had grown. He stunk, his limbs were stiff and his stomach ached in hunger.

Shyu opened the flap of the tent and smiled, seeing Aang back. He called two Sages, one who helped him bring Aang to his feet and another held a cup with thin, but warm, vegetable soup. Out of the tent, the Avatar gratefully accepted the soup. As the first sip of soup was taken, a noise was heard from the top of the Temple, like rushing water, huge amounts of it. The water tumbled down the stairs, flooding then leaving the floors, coming out of doors and balconies.

"Oh, great, all the carpets are ruined now!" A drenched Sage said in the background and Aang couldn't help but laugh, almost hysterically.

Koh, had done it.

Hama was gone now.

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Katara swept the restaurant's floor leisurely, quietly humming a lullaby she didn't remember the lyrics to. Junko had gone to the bank, Lien and Gan had gone home already.

She'd been on Ember Island for two months. Her hair was short now, in very relaxed waves, with the very tips brushing against where her neck met her shoulders and just enough fringe to tie a top-knot. Apparently, swimming in the ocean everyday dooms one's hair. Apparently, tiger-seal blubber, mixed with hippo-cow placenta, honey and aloe, have the power to save some of one's hair from total doom, but not much of it. Katara smiled, after trying to run her hand along the length. It wasn't a bad look, but it would take some time to get used to it.

"Ah, Mizu, good to see you still here. I wanted to talk to you before Itsuo took you out for your usual date." Deishi smiled from the kitchen's door.

"He won't be showing up here anymore." She informed him in a clipped tone and Deishi got worried.

"If he hurt you in any way, please just say. I have buddies in the Main Guard Post, we'll turn him inside out and no one will have to know about it."

She chuckled a bit and shook her head in negative. "He did try the _if you really love me_ talk... After only a month and a half of dating." She huffed and look at Deishi with her hands on her waist and the broom propped against her. "Really. A month and a half? He wasn't even that cute!"

"I'm glad to see you are so much like your Aunt." He relaxed. "I pity the guy who falls in love with you though. You'll make him jump through all sorts of hops."

"I'm not that bad." She started sweeping again. "Now, what did you want to talk about?"

He exhaled and scratched the back of his head. "You know I love your Aunt, right? We've been together for more than four years and I've been trying to get her to marry me for a year now, but she is dodging it. Would you know why? What is it in her past that she never talks about? That keeps holding her back?" He let out a defeated sigh and looked at her pleadingly. "I've already imagined so many terrible things that it could have been that... Whatever it is, it can't be worse and... Whatever it is, I've already come into terms with it three times over by now. You know what it is, don't you?"

Katara looked at him with sympathy and nodded yes.

"But you won't tell me, will you?"

"I'm sorry." He looked disheartened and Katara felt bad for him.

"I'll talk to Aunt though. Tonight." Seeing hope once again in his eyes, Katara decided to reassure him a bit. "It's not half as bad as what you might have imagined, but it is complicated... And it's also hurting her, you know. She really loves you, too."

Deishi was so happy that he didn't really know what to do. His army training kicked in and he bowed low. "Thank you!"

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Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.


	12. Fall Into Place

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 12: Fall Into Place**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is withing my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, and thus, so I do.

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Sokka suspiciously eyed the wooden urn that held Hama's comb. Her ashes had been taken to the Fire Sage's temple at the Crescent Island, and her comb was the first water tribe thing recovered. He received the urn sealed and tightly bound, the person taking care of it only wished him good luck and ran as fast as they could, leaving Sokka weary.

On the first night, the Tribal Prince understood why: as soon as the moon beams hit the urn, a quiet rattling started to come from it... And stopped once someone touched the box. He and Bato soon came to the conclusion that it would be better to keep this between themselves, and that the urn should remain hidden from any kind of light, but as the days passed, the noise picked up even hidden from moon light and grew in intensity. Only to suddenly stop now. Maybe Aang had finally calmed Hama? He hoped so.

Roughly a week after he had sent his father the letter, Bato showed up on the Capital's port, on one of their fastest ships, with a response: three healers and the South Water Tribe's official seal, just in case Sokka and Zuko had indeed made a trading agreement.

Even with the Fire Nation's financing, it was a Water Tribe quest. Sokka would need a Water Tribe boat and crew. He received the comb right before setting sail.

Their first stop had been Crescent Island, where they found Aang meditating on the patio with a tent built around him. Word was he had been like that for about a week.

After that they made for the colonies, keeping to the south coast. The benders had sought places near water and facing home. They found either a very old Water Tribe person surrounded by sons, daughters and grand children or a very old Fire Nation (though some of them looked decidedly Earth Kingdom) spouse or close friend holding onto an urn with ashes and some keepsakes.

The elderly original benders preferred to stay where they were. Their joints already ached in the sub-tropical climate, they didn't care for the polar cold, even after the healers took off the metal spheres blocking their bending and gave them a general treatment, but they wrote letters with greetings, tales and well wishes. Despite the suffering, they had managed to have pretty decent lives and to find a measure of happiness.

The younger decedents, especially those that could Water Bend, boarded the ship eager to see new places. They spent their time trading stories about each other's families and close calls on being found out.

The ashes and keepsakes were carefully stored and would be sunk in a symbolic burial.

They still had a long way to go, but their journey had a well defined end: Chameleon Bay. Junko, he learned, had been close to Bato, his father and his mother, the youngest of their band of friends. Kya had seen her being taken away; no wonder she was adamant about not letting Katara share the same end.

Despite Ozai refusing to tell Zuko where Ursa was, the Fire Lord acquired the information: his father's spies were too easily bought. Her last reported location was reported to be somewhere in the Bay. There was a very solid chance that that's where Junko was.

Sokka would also look out for Ursa, bring her back to the Fire Nation, as a personal favor.

Zuko helped break Hakoda out of prison.

Zuko helped Katara come to terms with their mother's murder.

Zuko couldn't leave the Capital to look for her, they didn't go through all that grief only for Ozai to pull off a coup while Zuko was gone. But Sokka could, and he was glad he could help.

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Li and Lo bowed before the Fire Lord inside his office, curious as what he wanted them to handle personally.

"As you know very well, we have many highly trained soldiers and a good number of them is are unemployed as of now. I want them kept busy. You are to organize a nationwide championship, to be held in a year, with a symbolic entrance fee of two bronze pieces. The treasury will donate the rest of the prize." Zuko gave his order without lifting his face from whatever he was drafting.

The old women smiled to each other; he had foreseen the problem before it showed its ugly head. If left alone and unattended, those soldiers would turn into thieves, rebels, vagrants, over-all criminals. This championship was temporary solution at best, but one very good idea.

"Should we organize it in categories-"

"According to weapon of choice?"

Zuko nodded and completed: "And separate benders from non-benders, with individual and equal prizes for each category. The last thing I need is sore losers claiming favoritism. I want it held in the new area cleared just south of the Capital," he replied still engrossed in his writing.

Their smiles widened. Zuko had been paying attention to the rising unrest between benders and non-benders.

"Any extra structure needed, such as inns, I want built there, not here. The Capital is already overflowing with people."

Were Zuko still a child, he would get extra desert after dinner. Lo and Li felt proud of Zuko, the same kind of pride they felt of Azula when she was younger. So far he was doing very well, especially under the circumstances.

Azulon had taken most of the powers away from the council, but since all his decisions made him look good to the general population – and since he kept said nobles wealthy enough – no one would ever speak against him.

Ozai almost ended the council altogether at one point, but then he delegated almost everything to like minded nobles and high ranking military personnel, who used and abused the power they were given. Zuko was left with a mess of corruption, ruffled feathers, hurt pride and general poverty to sort out.

"Anything else-"

"My lord?"

"Actually, yes." He dropped the brush and let out a weary sigh. "Can't you make _them_ leave?" No need to say who them were. The hoard of perfect little possible _wives_ he had acquired over the last two months.

"You need these nobles' support-"

"You can't just throw them out," they pointed out patiently.

He knew that. Throwing all of them out of the palace would put him at more odds with them. "But they're driving me insane!" he bit back in hopelessness.

A moment passed while they thought up an answer. Finally one of them had an idea.

"Invite Fei Yen for tea."

"Oh, good one," the other sister complimented and they nodded to each other.

Zuko grunted in confusion. "Which one is Fei Yen? And why would it help?"

"She is from the north of the main island and came here to be a contrast to Hachi, her sister." He was about to ask what a contrast was, but was cut off.

"Fei Yen has... pleasant features, but her sister is considered most beautiful of the two."

"But Hachi can only be called a true beauty in comparison to others, such as Fei Yen. By herself she is just merely pretty." As they explained it dawned on Zuko.

"So, by deliberately choosing the plainer sister I'll be..." He smiled in the same plotting way the members of his family did, but rather than the _your doom is near_ vibe his Father and Sister perfected, Zuko's had the same _hmm, amusing and interesting_ feel of his Uncle.

"Yes," they said in unison, bearing their most congenial smiles. The Fire Lord's expression reminded them of Prince Iroh, The Royal Flirty Rascal.

"Mean while, since Fei Yen has no aspirations such as becoming the Fire Lady-"

"You might have a relaxing evening with good tea and light conversation. She enjoys reading about folklore-"

"That's interesting enough."

"_Riiiiight,_" he dragged the word, and his features changed into skepticism. "Tea and folklore..." then he added under his breath, "Sounds like Uncle's perfect date." He cleared his throat and composed himself. "Very well. That's all, thank you."

While the pair left, Zuko started to spell-check the draft of his mother's postmortem (and curiously retroactive) pardon.

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Aang examined himself in the huge mirror that hung above the pure white marble counter and artfully painted porcelain basing filled with water inthe bathroom of Avatar Hoku's, well, _his _quarters at the Temple. Freshly shaven and just out of the bath, not caring for the little polls of water left on the ceramic floor – he'd dry it later – he stared at his reflection...

His unhealthily thin frame...

His prominent ribcage bones...

His hollowed cheeks and sunken eyes...

The scar dividing his left eyebrow in two...

He touched the scar and noticed in the reflection how long his nails had grown.

_I have to ask Shyu for a file_, he concluded as he looked at his feet for confirmation that, yes, his toenails also needed trimming.

"_For an Air Bender you know ssurprissingly little about the Sspirt World... And sspirituality itsself, I'm guessing." _He jumped and looked behind him, but Hebi Hai's vicious hiss came from his memory.

"As if humans knew _so~oh_ much about the Spirit World!" he growled snidely, his hands closing into fists, the muscles on his arms tensing. He turned his face to the side, inadvertently seeing his reflection once again, his face distorted by contempt. The thing... The being reflected couldn't possibly be him.

He dipped his hand in the water and used it wash off his previous facial expression. He put his hands on each side of the basin and leaned forward, looking at the image in the water's surface, then at the image inside the mirror.

"_You see-"_ his reflection tuned into Koh's likeness- _"I despise lazy Avatars."_

"You know what? Right now, me too," Aang answered as if talking with the real Koh.

"_... The legacy of your people... The Knowledge Foxes probably already scavenged all the scrolls they could." _The fragment of memory taunted and Aang felt the burning of unshed tears on the back of his eyes, but he fought to keep his face from changing in front of mirror-Koh.

As the first tear rolled down his cheek, the image in the mirror reverted back to what it was supposed to be. That tear was soon followed by some others. He hastily dried them with the towel, then dried himself and as he dried the floor, an unnatural calm washed over him.

"_I was a spiritual brother of your people, and a personal friend of Monk Gyatso." _His eyes lit in happy wonderment.

_Guru Pathik – _Aang's lips moved but no sound came forth. A grin slowly crept to his lips as he reached for his familiar orange under-pants. The Guru could surely teach him more! Maybe a lot more than just _more_!

As the Avatar cheered up, the ideas started to come to him again: He could go to Ba Sing Se. Iroh would welcome him, would help him find Guru Pathik again. If there were no scrolls left, he could reach the Spirit of Knowledge through the Spirit World.

Aang grabbed the rest of his clothes, went to the bedroom using the walls for support and put them down on a chair by the bed. He climbed up on the bed, crawled to the middle, laid down and closed his eyes. In his dreams he and Gyatso laughed at clever puns told by one of his brothers at the South Temple.

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Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.

Author note: I'm dedicating this chapter to my Mother; she died September 18th, two and a half months ago. It's thanks to the values she somehow drilled through my thick, thick skull that I had chapters of this fic finished ahead of schedule (or else you guys would have gone without), but since she didn't drill deep enough I am behind schedule now. I haven't written anything new this past months because I just wasn't in any shape to do so, I didn't have the time (bank paper work, government paper work, insurance paper work plus college finals) and I was afraid my doom and gloom vibe would contaminate the fic. There may or may not be a new chapter in the end of December. I'm hoping that Christmas will be healing for me and my family and I wish all you guys the best Christmas ever.


	13. Good Puppet Masters

**Kisses aren't Promises **

**Chapter 13: Good Puppet Masters**

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters (design and personality) recognizable from "Avatar the Last Airbender" series. I don't own the plot of "Avatar the Last Airbender" series, which I'm using as a base for this fanfiction. However, I feel that it is within my rights to claim ownership over this fanfiction's plot & original characters that may appear along the way, all of which are only for recreational proposes only - NOT FOR MY PERSONAL PROFIT, and thus, so I do.

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"Not just him, you should tell all of them." Katara sat on Junko's double bed with her, holding her hands. She usually went back to Zuko's beach house, but she had promised Deshi that she would talk to Junko, who was shaking like a bamboo in a windstorm.

"Deshi loves you. For all he knows, you could be just a young widow or you could be an ex-prostitute!" Junko whined like a wounded beast and started crying. Katara pulled her arms to make her listen.

"We both know it crossed his mind!" Katara said with narrowed eyes and Junko nodded, avoiding the girl's gaze. "But he stayed with you, didn't he?" she said more kindly, and Junko nodded again. "Compared to that, being an undercover Water Bender is nothing! He was in the army, he knows what could have happened to you. He will understand." She embraced the older woman, letting her cry on her shoulder.

"Gan's hobby is to be subversive, he will think it's awesome and take it in stride," she reasoned, rubbing circles on Junko's back. "Lien will act as though she knew it all along and say that she never believed one word of what her teachers said about the Water Tribe." Katara started to rock to and fro, letting Junko cry out all the tension and frustrations of the years she stayed in hiding.

From sitting, they went to lying down and Junko fell asleep, while Katara thought about her own love problems.

Itsuo had been this weird mix of Aang and Jet: sweet, lively, adventurous and enthusiastic but with a dark and seductive underlining. He made her laugh with silly jokes, made her shiver when he gave her coy looks from under his eyebrows and his kisses...

She closed her eyes took a sharp and shaky intake of air. _Better not go there._

Telling him no and ending everything had really been the best thing. She didn't know if what she felt for him was really for him – Itsuo – or if it was the juxtaposition of her guilt and leftover affections for both Jet and Aang. She knew she wasn't ready for... That... Yet. She knew that if they Did It there was a solid chance he would just vanish afterwards...

But Spirits damn her, she had seriously though about saying yes. She'd fantasized about it, even.

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There was a light, searching touch on the surface of the stone table from an old wrinkled hand. Then another. Then yet another and finally, the woman found her tea cup.

"You're blind." Toph accused, narrowing her eyes.

"Yes." The old woman smiled after a sip. "It only took you one week to figure me out."

"But you're not a Bender. This is another scheme from that Old Man, isn't it?" Toph wasn't liking it.

"His Majesty King Bumi knows that you won't do anything you don't want to do," was the gentle, diplomatic answer.

"Ha! Then he set me up so I would _want_ you to teach me not to use my Bending, didn't he? Just like he set me up so I would _want_ to wear my hair down and let it grow. Just like he did with Baby too." By instinct she pointed to the corner of the palace's guest room, where a koala sheep sized badger mole was belly up, adorably squirming to scratch his back on the stone floor.

"I wasn't always blind," the woman pointed out patiently. "I lost my vision when I was but a little older than you. I lost my ground... And I know that will be a little more literal for you, but wouldn't you like to be able to visit your friends, wherever they are?" she coaxed.

"Not if it means I won't be able to fight for myself." Toph crossed her arms and pouted like the petulant child she still was.

"His Majesty is also working on that. He wants only what's best for you."

"Yeah, so did my parents." The girl struck a pose, back turned, arms crossed and nose in the air and waited for the irritating signs that surely would follow her defiant attitude, but none came. Then she remembered that the old woman was blind, _really_ blind and she groaned, defeated. "When do we start?"

"As soon as you put on some shoes."

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Zuko passed the door to one of the many rooms in the palace while on his way to the library. He saw from the corner of his eye one of his suitors poised ever so gracefully while she worked on a flower arrangement. He knew that is was fake, he'd heard the scurrying of the girl's personal servant before he turned the corner and he knew that, as soon as he was out of sight, she would slump and curse silently.

His annoyance gave way to the memories of Sokka's brief stay. They'd take walks around the palace and when they neared one suspiciously opened door, Zuko would stop, while Sokka went ahead and stopped on the doorway, complimenting whoever was inside and then vacating the passage. Zuko then would make his appearance, once the pose was broken and a nasty scowl marred the face of the so-called lady inside.

He also found out that Sokka's artistic talent had improved a lot. In his office there were fairly good reproductions of the scenes the ladies created for his benefit, the only difference being that all the ladies had animal heads instead of their own. His friend had even given names and created a legend like background story to each picture. Zuko's favorite was the tempest-crane shamisen player named Hah Hah Kehpleng who molted during autumn and only ate the eyes of dishonest humans that invaded her territory.

Soon enough he was navigating the rows of shelved scrolls within the palace's library. Fei Yen was easy to find, sitting on one of the posh armchairs, fully engrossed in what probably was a legend of some kind. Li and Lo were right, she was plain, kind of reminded him of Jin. They probably had the same agreeable and easygoing disposition, he'd wager.

He moved to stand between her and her source of light.

"Fire Lord Zuko!" For a moment Zuko though she would tell him off for blocking her light and interrupting her, but her good breeding prevented that.

"May I help you, my Lord?" she offered with a kind smile, after getting up and bowing as was proper.

"Indeed, you may." He schooled his features into those of a gentleman at leisure. "I was wondering if you'd be so kind as to be my companion for the afternoon tea at the gardens," Zuko said in his most suave tone.

"My Lord..." She blushed to the tip of her ears, blinking in surprise and searching for the words to answer. "Me? But my sister..."

"I'm aware that it's your sister that vies for my attention," he interrupted her kindly. "However, what she seeks from me isn't something that, at this moment, I'm capable of giving to her." He paused until saw a spark of hurt on her gaze – for her sister's sake, then the blush intensified. "Or you, for that matter." That made her angry, but still, she remained subdued.

"I gave up counting how many suitors I have." He made a show of looking tired and weary. "Friends however, I have precious few, and none who are in the Nation as of now." Fei Yen's anger turned into a mixture of pity and guilt. "I miss having tea in the garden while talking about silly things, like the weather. I thought that since your interests seem to be as plain as mine, you wouldn't mind to indulge me."

She promptly agreed as he somehow knew she would, and they made their way to the gardens. The other ladies saw them passing by the halls, talking quietly, and seethed.

During tea Zuko would express concern about his sister's condition and mother's disappearance. He'd imply that those matters were keeping him from thinking about his love life and would extract from her a promise not to divulge his lack of interest on the other ladies, for he didn't want to hurt them... Knowing she would break the promise as soon as her mother and sister interrogated her.

Afterward, he felt sick. It was so easy. Too easy. She was so much like him, cast aside and yet still eager to please. He could seduce her if he wanted, take her to his bed even and then let her down gently without her ever suspecting he was just playing all along. Not that he would do that, but for once he understood why his sister and father had no qualms about manipulating people. It felt empowering, in the worst possible way.

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The Fire Sage saw Aang laboriously making his way down the hall, using his glider as a crutch, and held back a sigh. _First the boy spends about two months doing Spirits know what inside the Spirit World, then he sleeps almost a whole day straight and now he's already up to something?_ He called out to the Avatar, bowed and asked if he desired anything.

"Yes, actually, could you help me find Momo and saddle Appa? I need to go find Guru Pathick, he is waiting for me," the teen replied with his good old cheerfulness.

"I sorry if I'm stepping out of my bounds Avatar Aang, but is it a matter of life or death?" the Sage inquired gently.

"Nope!" Aang said, scratching the back of his head. "Just something I'd rather do sooner than later."

"Then I plead that you consider doing it later," the Fire Sage said while bowing to show humility. After all, one mere Sage should not presume to tell the Avatar what he should or shouldn't do. "You are in no shape to travel around and there already are whispers of unrest among the nations that mean potential danger towards your station. Please stay until you get some of your strength back. You are welcome to use one of our messenger hawks and send a note to Guru Pathick. I'm sure he will understand you have good reasons to delay your meeting," the Sage finished with a helpful suggestion before standing straight again.

"Can it take a message to the Eastern Air Temple?" Aang perked up, glad for the chance to rest some more.

"Ah, well..." The Sage became hesitant. "None of our hawks have been trained to go to the Eastern Air Temple, and I don't think there are any landmarks they would recognize there." Seeing Aang's disappointment, he amended quickly: "I believe the nearest hawk posts are in Gaoling and Ba Sing Se. General Iroh has a tea shop in Ba Sing Se and he is very well connected..."

Aang cut him off. "Of course!" The Avatar bumped his right fist into the palm of his upturned left hand. "Bumi did say that all old people knew each other! I bet Uncle Iroh and Guru Pathick are even in the same Pai Sho club!" The quizzical look on the Sage's face alerted Aang that he wasn't a member of the White Lotus. "Uncle Iroh is as serious about Pai Sho as he is about tea!"

The Avatar chocked down a giggle when the Sage rolled his eyes and grumbled to himself something along the lines of, _of course he would be._ The sound made the Sage turn his attention to Aang, who gave his biggest, most innocent grin.

"Here," said the Sage, positioning himself on the Avatar's glider-less side and offering his arm for support. "Let me assist you to Head Sage Shuy's office. You'll need parchment, ink and perhaps some supper as well?"

"Supper sounds yummy."

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Winter in the Fire Nation meant a blessedly chilly wind in the night time, a brief little rain at least and torrential storms that would last for hours at most. They were in the middle of the midday rush at Junko's restaurant when the weather turned and it became an _at most_ day. Katara took it as a sign that things would work out well.

As though it in consensus, everybody ate as fast as they could and left before the storm reached its peak. All tables were empty in record time. There would be no one loitering about to accidentally hear their conversation. Everyone started the day's wrap up, except Katara.

"Come on guys, I need your attention!" she said clapping her hands to get their attention. "This can't wait till later, gather around here. Auntie has something she need to tell all of you."

They all came around in a blink: it was no secret Junko had a mysterious past. At first they respected it because she was their boss and they needed the job. Then they respected it because she was just Junko, a kind lady trying to rebuild her life... But it didn't stop them from wondering.

Meanwhile Junko tried to make herself as small as possible. Her shoulders came inwards, her knees bent until she had to pull a chair and sit down or else her legs would fail her. She sucked in her lips and kept staring at the floor.

"Oh, for Spirits sake!" Katara, in the background, face-palmed at Junko's reaction. If she didn't act fast, soon there would be shaking and tears before anything was straightened out. As fast as she could, she collected a ceramic cup of water from the kitchen and put it on the table beside the woman.

Katara let go of the cup, and it started to shake, making noises as the ceramic brushed the wooden table. Junko heard it, and whimpered, making the cup turn over and the water spill everywhere.

"YOU ARE A WATER BENDER! AWESOME!" Gan's reaction was just as Katara predicted.

"She was brought here when she was eleven and..." The Master Water Bender started when she saw that Junko would not start talking anytime soon, but the word eleven had barely left her mouth and Lien was cradling a weeping Junko against her.

"Oh, dear, oh dear. I remember you!" The old woman gently combed her thin fingers through Junko's hair. "Such a small, dear little thing, being dragged to the palace in chains by those stupid sons of a mad pig cow... Sh, sh, it's ok, you are with friends here." Lien lifted Junko's face and wiped her tears on the sleeve of her robes with much care.

"Remember that rotten tomato that got that guard full on the face?" Lien said mischievously, and Junko nodded yes in the middle of a watery smile. "I threw it!" With that, the tears of fear turned into tears of happiness.

Deishi breathed in and out, relieved. His beloved's reasons had been more than justified. He was glad he held out as patiently as he knew how. Deciding to give the two woman space, he made his way to Katara.

"So... I guess that means she isn't really your aunt?" he blurted out, then blushed and stammered, afraid he might have offended her. Katara just shook her head and waved her hand dismissively.

"Don't sweat it. But to answer your question: Junko and my mother were best friends when they were kids, so she is kind of my aunt...?" Katara let out a weary sigh.

"Well..." He took a look at Lien calming Junko down little by little. "They do say that friends are the family that you choose."

-'- - " - -'- - " - -'- - " - -'- - " - -'- - " - -'- - " - -'- - " - -'- - " - -'- - " - -'- - " -

Iroh sat sipping his tea, overlooking the city on the balcony of his apartment, situated over his shop. The pleasant cold that had allowed even a few snowflakes to fall from the sky in the wee hours was perfect for his current activity, even if it made the tea get cold faster than usual. The last thing he expected was a delivery boy from the hawkery with a letter addressed to him from the Avatar.

It was dated from a couple of days ago and seemed cheerful. _Shuy said hello, how nice of him!_ Then the pleasantries ended and Aang's tale about Hama and Koh explained the spiritual unrest Iroh had picked up. The retired General relaxed when he learned the matter was over and done with.

As his eyes collided with Guru Pathik's name, Iroh knew he didn't need to read any further, but he did so anyways. When he lifted his eyes from the parchment, he was the Grand Master on a mission entrusted to him by the Avatar. _It's time... Finally!_

Special thanks: To MizJoely who beta-ed this chapter.


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